Christian message of Estonian sheet pendants from the 10th to the 17th century

Sheet pendants made of silver or copper alloy were worn in Estonia from the 10th to the 17th century. This type of jewelry spread to Estonia from Scandinavia and was also used in Finland, Karelia, Latvia, Lithuania, in the areas inhabited by the Baltic tribes in northeastern Poland, and to a lesser extent in northwestern Russia. The symbols depicted on the sheet pendants are Christian. The three dominant symbols are the cross, representing the Christian faith; a boss or circle, symbolizing God the Father; and five bosses arranged in the shape of crosses, rep resenting the Five Holy Wounds of Christ. The 10th-13thcentury sheet pendants include looped squares, which are symbols of St. John the Baptist. The 13thcentury circular sheet pendants have a design formed by three volutes, symbolizing the Holy Trinity, triskele, swastika, pentagram, and star. Trapezoidal sheet pendants from the 13th century may have been intended as axe shapes, possibly related to the cult of St. Olaf. The meaning of the volutes and interlace patterns on the trapezoidal sheet pendants is unknown. Recognizable Christian sym bols on them include the cross of St. Peter and an anchor. In the 15th-17th centuries, new designs include the Maltese cross and the Tshaped cross of St. Anthony. Sheet pendants not only manifested the wearer's Christian faith but also expressed specific central themes and concepts of Christianity. The pendants reflect themes such as God the Father, the birth and crucifixion of Christ, the Holy Trinity, and the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist.