Material: Brass
Its design is related to a found stamp. It probably dates back to the times of Ukraine-Rus. We transferred the image of a warlike bird flying headlong at prey to the pendant.
Jewelry with birds on it was very popular in all parts of the world at that time. In ancient beliefs, it seemed to be a magical bird symbolizing the sky, a certain energy of the gods. It acted as a messenger between heaven and earth. According to mythological legends, some deities were transformed into birds: a raven, a falcon, an eagle, a swan, etc. For example, let's think of Hugin and Munin, a pair of ravens who, in Germanic-Scandinavian mythology, fly around Midgard and report all events to the god Odin. In Old Icelandic, Huginn means “thought” and Muninn means “memory.” And the Scandinavians, as you know, left their own quite vivid mark on our early medieval history.
One can also recall Rarog, whom the Slavs imagined as a bird of prey (most often a falcon) or a serpent with a sparkling body, flaming hair and radiance coming out of its mouth, as well as in the form of a fiery whirlwind.
If you look at Ukrainian medieval heraldry, you will see that birds are also well represented. Just look at the Galician eagle or the black double-headed eagle that adorned the coat of arms of the Chernihiv principality.
In ancient times, people believed that wearing an amulet conveyed the best qualities of an animal. The nature of the magical effect of pendants in the form of birds and animals was related to their characteristics.
