Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, as well as Norway, a ''trollkors'' or troll cross is a bent piece of iron worn as an

amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...

to ward off malevolent

magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

, allegedly stemming from medieval

. According to those claiming its authenticity it represented the Norse symbol of protection; thus if a Norseman wore this symbol, they believed that chances of falling into danger would decrease. However, although commonly thought of as a part of Swedish folklore, it was first created—as an item of jewelry—by the smith Kari Erlands from western Dalarna, sometime in the late 1990s. It was claimed to have been a copy of a protective rune found at her grandparents' farm, but this has not been verified. While it does bear some resemblance to the othala rune in

Elder Futhark The Elder Futhark (or Fuþark), also known as the Older Futhark, Old Futhark, or Germanic Futhark, is the oldest form of the runic alphabets. It was a writing system used by Germanic peoples for Northwest Germanic dialects in the Migration Peri ...

and Anglo-Saxon runic writing systems, it's more likely Erlands mistook a Bumerke for a protective symbol.

Footnotes

References

* * {{Superstitions Amulets Norwegian folklore Swedish folklore Superstitions of Scandinavia Norse demons