The anchor as a symbol of the HBC is modeled on a miniature anchor found in Haithabu. A total of 10 of these were found in Haithabu and one in Schleswig.

Haithabu anchor no. 10 can be seen on the right.

These eleven anchors are miniature versions of iron anchors as they were used in Scandinavia during the Viking Age and have also been found in their original size in Haithabu, Schleswig and Ribe as well as in the ship graves of Ladby and Oseberg. In all cases, these are so-called stick anchors, which usually consist of the shaft, a long iron rod, the flukes, two arms branching off from this rod at the bottom, and a wooden stick attached at right angles to the upper end of the shaft. At the upper end, the shaft also has a ring for attaching the anchor rope.

The eleven miniature anchors from Haithabu and Schleswig are all made of lead or a lead alloy. There are also a large number of other lead objects from Haithabu, the majority of which are jewelry. This is particularly significant for the Viking Age, as jewelry made of lead is otherwise relatively rare in Viking Age Scandinavia. The numerous semi-finished and finished products made of lead, as well as the matching molds from Haithabu, point to the mass production of what is now known as “costume jewelry” at the site. The miniature anchors were therefore probably also produced in Haithabu itself, as indicated by the two semi-finished products and a casting mold. They appear to have been cast in open molds and then forged. What the miniature anchors have in common is their raw material, lead. However, the anchors vary greatly in size, appearance and degree of processing. The largest anchors exceed 10 cm, while the smallest measures approx. 3.5 cm. Some anchors look rather coarse and rough, while others are finely finished and smoothly polished. The majority of the anchors are also fitted with a hanging loop, and one of the well-preserved examples still has a small bronze hanging wire in the hanging loop. The anchors were therefore probably worn on a chain. Dating the miniature anchors is relatively difficult. In Haithabu, lead jewelry appears preferably from the second half of the 9th century. The find from Schleswig, on the other hand, dates to the middle of the 11th century at the earliest. It must therefore be assumed that it was found between around 850 and 1100.

The miniature anchors from Haithabu and Schleswig, like most other miniature objects from the Viking Age, can be interpreted in different ways. It is not possible to clearly determine their function and use. This general problem with the interpretation of miniatures and amulets is made more difficult in the case of the miniature anchors for three reasons. Firstly, because the anchor contains a very wide range of meanings in both profane and magical-religious symbolism. Secondly, because these miniatures have so far only been found in large numbers at the Haithabu site. And thirdly, because they can only be found locally in Haithabu and are often of a low level of workmanship, they cannot easily be compared with other amulets from the Viking Age. Scholars have nevertheless identified certain interpretative approaches.

It is possible that their rich symbolism could have had a magical-religious meaning. The miniature anchors could have served as amulets, which in the pagan context were linked to the symbolism of the “ship”, specifically perhaps to Frejr's ship Skidbladnir. It is possible that the anchor or the ship symbolized Frejr or the Vans, just as the hammer stood for Thor and thus the Asen.

In early Christianity, the anchor symbolized the hope of resurrection and salvation, true faith, steadfastness and stability. It was also an attribute of St. Clement and St. Nicholas of Myra. The miniature anchors could therefore also have had a Christian symbolic meaning. St. Clement in particular was venerated as one of the most important saints by the Eastern Church from the 9th century onwards, and numerous churches in high medieval Denmark also bear witness to his veneration. For Haithabu, the miniature anchors could therefore be interpreted as signs of visitors from the Byzantine-influenced ecclesiastical culture of Ancient Rus.

In addition to these religious meanings, the anchors could also have had other, more magical functions as symbols for ships and seafaring. For example, the anchor also stands for safety, security, luck and success and could therefore be seen as an amulet of protection against any dangers to which traders and sailors were exposed when traveling in Nordic waters.

However, scholars also point out that anchor amulets with such a potentially rich magical-religious significance must have had a wider distribution in Viking Age Scandinavia than the narrow distribution in Haithabu and Schleswig. Anchor amulets are not known from any other find complex in early medieval Europe.

However, the miniature anchors could also have carried a profane message. Thus, a number of indications speak against the interpretation as religious-magical amulets. In the Viking Age, amulets were primarily a form of female expression and usually consisted of decorative jewelry made of precious metal, iron or amber. However, the anchors are rather crude and of a low level of craftsmanship and are all made of lead. This material was very rarely used for amulets. On the other hand, the relatively large number of lead objects in Haithabu indicates that lead was the common decorative metal in the everyday life of the lower classes. The anchors could therefore indicate a common, locally specific function and could also be interpreted as having been worn by a very limited group with common characteristics and motifs. Within the thesis that the small anchors represented badges for sailors and traders, there is a high probability that the anchors were also worn by men, in contrast to the interpretation as amulets.

The anchors could therefore have been an identifying mark for seafarers. Thinking further, the anchors could also indicate membership of an association of overseas merchants or seafarers. From the Viking Age until the end of the Middle Ages, seafaring merchants joined together to form sailing cooperatives, which served the purpose of commercial self-protection. In the late Middle Ages, such traveling communities, usually called guilds, are only known in Scandinavian written records from the 12th/13th century, but are known from Carolingian and Anglo-Saxon areas from the 7th/8th century. For example, Rimbert reports in the 9th century (ch. 10, 33) that the German missionaries joined merchant convoys in the port of Haithabu on their journeys to Birka. However, it remains uncertain that this could have been some kind of merchant guild, especially as the first evidence of a guild only comes from a Swedish rune stone from the 11th century. This then speaks of a Frisian guild, which opens up the possibility that the anchors could be the identifying mark of an ethnic merchant group. Seafarers and traders from areas where the cooperative system was already more developed than in Scandinavia. The Frisians, who can be traced from historical sources in Haithabu, Birka and early Schlweswig, would be the most likely candidates.

Finally, however, the anchors could also have had the profane function of a customs mark. It cannot be ruled out that permission to use the harbor and trade in Haithabu had to be purchased with a tax. The small anchors could have served as proof of payment in this context.

The users of the anchors must have belonged to the various ethnic and social groups that lived in Haithabu, as in all other trading centers of the time. Haithabu's population included Danes and other Scandinavians, Saxons, Frisians and Slavs. As protective amulets against the dangers of seafaring, the anchors may have been worn by all population groups, whether Christian or pagan. If the anchors were linked to Frej's ship skidbladnir or the worship of the Vans, the users were probably Scandinavians. As a Christian symbol, the users could hardly be classified ethnically and could in principle have been all Christian people, both locals and guests. The limited distribution and its uniform material probably indicate an ethnically and socially homogeneous group of wearers, whereby the symbolic connection with seafaring predestines the anchors as the insignia of a group of sailors.

On the left is the anchor of the HBC, Haithabu Anchor No. 8.

In terms of historical interpretation, the HBC wears the anchor as a symbol of its connection with seafaring, the sea and ships and as a badge of this common community of interest. Furthermore, the anchor can be interpreted individually for the members. In this way, we take into account the difficulty of interpretation and our individual focal points. As a local phenomenon from Haithabu, the anchor is also a sign of our home port of Haithabu, but also a sign of our cosmopolitanism and longing for foreign shores due to Haithabu's influence on the early medieval world.