The Divine Appearance 0f Härn: Determining the Identity of a Bronze Age Metal Hoard

This article aims to investigate the mysterious divinity Härn on the basis of a Bronze Age metal hoard from Härnevi in Uppland. The premise is that this hoard rep- resents a cultural category that reflects a divine concept that must be investigated in order to understand the meaning behind the deposition. Through mythological parallels, Härn’s characteristics will be explored as well as the relation between the sun and fertility across time and space. It is suggested that Härn originally was a sun goddess emanating from the Bronze Age and related to the Norse goddesses Njärd and Freyja.