Two rare silver coins discovered by metal detectorists in Denmark reveal that the Vikings made jewelry out of Christian coins that were originally designed to prevent Viking raids, according to experts at the National Museum of Denmark. The coins were minted around 1009, during the reign of English king Æthelred II, nicknamed "Æthelred the Unready," and featured religious motifs that he hoped would protect his people from the Viking scourge. But he didn't count on the Vikings' appreciation of the coins' aesthetics. Gitte Ingvardson looks at the two coins using a magnifying glass. (Image credit: John Fhær Engedal Nissen/National Museum of Denmark) Experts have dubbed this style of anti-Viking coin "Agnus Dei," or "Lamb of God," because the front of the coin features a lamb pierced by a cross, which is a symbol of Christ's sacrifice. Alpha and omega — the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet — also appear on the coin's front side, symbolizing that God is the beginning and end.…