We rarely hear about Finland when discussing the Vikings, because Finland was not populated by people of the same ethnic origins as the Vikings.

This is most obvious when you look at the Finnish language. While Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, and Icelandic are all from the same linguistic family, Finnish is something completely different. It is a Uralic language linked with Estonian and other Baltic languages.

During the Viking period, Finland was occupied by a number of different tribes including the Sami, the Tavastians, the Kven, and the Kareli.

While the Vikings had Thor with his mighty hammer, the Finns had Ukko, another god of thunder and fertility (the Sami called the same god Aijeke).

Just as the Vikings wore amulets of Thor's hammer as symbols of protection, the Finns also wore hammer amulets linked with Ukko.

This is a replica of a Finnish hammer amulet dating from the Viking period and is a potent and unique symbol of protection.