- artefacts with a Rus viking type of decoration and/or art style wich are found in present Russia or neigbouring countries like Ukrain, partly with a Scandinavian alike art style, partly with a distinct decoration or art style on itself from the Viking Age;

Rus-Viking or Scandinavian-Rus type sword chape in Borre style

Rus viking pendant with Odin and raven

Rus viking belt decoration

Rus viking Thor's hammer from necklace

Rus viking pendant with enamel

Rus viking enamelled stud from horse harness

Rus or Slavic horse harness pendant

Rus or Baltic pendant or amulet

Kievan-Rus viking cross pendant in Jellinge style

Rus-Scandinavian snake brooch

- artefacts with a decoration and/or art style wich are found among the Slavs, Balts-Finns and Finno-Ugrian tribes in the time the vikings lived.

Western Slavic goad of a prick spur

Baltic or eastern Rus sword chape with oriental palm motif

Baltic penannular brooch (1)

Baltic penannular brooch (2)

Baltic or Rus-Viking beads

Baltic Finns bird pendant from chain ornament

Baltic Finns tortoise brooch detail from chain ornament

Lead stone figurine from Latvia

Eastern Baltic viking ring (1)

Eastern Baltic viking ring (2)

Baltic 'twisted wire'spiral ring

Baltic aviform bird mount or brooch

Baltic bronze belt mount

Baltic bronze bracelet (1)

Baltic bronze bracelet (2)

Baltic fibula brooch

Eastern type sword chape bird and trequeta type

Viking braided silver bracelet

Finno-Ugric Perm animal style amulets and bracelets

Finno-Ugric Perm animal style plaque with man and birds

Finnic idol

Finnic or Finno-Ugric domed tortoise brooch in Borre style

- artefacts with a (late) Saxon, Anglo-Norman or romanesque style (found in England)

Late viking or Anglo-Norman horse bridle cheek pieces

Norman or medieval romanesque buckle brooch

Medieval strap end in romanesque style

Late Saxon, viking or Anglo-Norman stirrup strap mounts

Late viking or romanesque horse harness pendant from the Viking Age found in the Netherlands.

NOTE: not all my artefacts had found their way to these section yet. Various items I have described in the blogs, other items have to be described yet..so keep an eye open for updates.

Well. I could have been with these stones until after dark, but as my wife wanted to travel on.. well.. I see you again, some day, hogback stones from Gosforth. And if you happen to be there one day, do not forget that monument on the outside...

Further on with the Cumbrian hogbacktour !

In - yes, luckily again in - St. Peter's church in Heysham, there is a truly beautiful hogback stone. The guide told us, it had been studyied by Thor Ewing, a writer, in 2000. in 'Understanding the Heysham hogback' A tenth century sculpted stone monument and its context (link), Thor Ewing tells in detail what he dicovered on the both sides of this hogback stone.

Just being brought in the church as late as the 1970's accompanied with some protest here and there among the church visitors, considered as being a token of old paganism, it had been remarkably nice preserved, and a lot of detail can be seen, still. Truly worthwile a visit.

I had a small debate with the guide in the church if the - zoomorphic, in my opinion - faces on the sides were lions (or hippo's). The guide doubted if the vikings could have known about lions. Well I guess so, concerning the runes on the Ancient Greek lion statue at the Arsenal, Venice. For example. Vikings did travel south..

But when he told me he was doubting the vikings 'discovered' (as the native inhabitants were of course, in the first place) America before Columbus, I decided to rest my case..

One has to know when to start and to end a conversation ..

Collecting artefacts makes it possible to hold a 1000 year old artefact in your hand and feel its magic and history.. every piece is carrying it's own always not 100% known, story.

That is the magic of it, the thrill of it all..

This hogback stone was moved in the church in 1907. Hogback stones layed partially buried in the churchyard before it was dug up and moved into the church.

The promising depiction of a longship - as certainly can be seen after some studying - see http://vikingminds.co.uk/pages/longship

we have missed !

The stone itself is (157 x 50 x 30 cm) and very worn.

The hogback stones in Cumbria - very diverse in quality, but everyone worth a visit ! Especially on a gloomy day in late October ...

The churches to visit - see photos of resp. St. Andrew's church in Penrith, St. Mary's church in Gosforth, St. Peter's church in Heysham and St. Micheal's church in Lowther.

Did I miss out on another one in Cumbria ? Let me know !

In a next blog I will take you to four - still remaining utterly mysterious- statues 'guarding' the graveyard of St. Andrew's church in Dacre..

For the last blog of October 9th see this link.

Just discovered the book in a bookstore written by Geoff Holder - The guide to the mysterious Lake District, I knew there had to be another hogback stone in Lowther, St. Micheal's Church. With a promising image described in the text of 'a naval and a land-based force of shield-bearing vikings above a fish and what might be a coiled sea serpent. On the reverse is a row of female figures with snakes, possibly a representation of the hideous hag Hel'. Wow. If that did not sound as a true pagan promised land ..

Not complaing too much after all we have seen, this visit was the dissapointing one of them all. But if you wife states 'I am happy to have seen them' and I am answering 'Measuring is knowing' and the even more obligate verb 'handling 'if we did not see it at all, we wouldn't have known anything at all of how they were looking' the glass was again half full, at the last day of our journey..

The hogback stone appeared to be just being tolerated within the entrance segment part of the church. As something you never use anymore but you do not throw away - entirely. That sort of feeling emerged when seeing this hogback asylum seekers.. Bed, bath and bread, ás we say in Dutch, but no luxury at all and standing on some outcuts of wood, you would balance the table with at home..

Come on, St. Micheal's Church.. care a bit more of your 'children' !

References: (as always, links to where the books can be ordered are attached).

Edwards, B.J.N. Vikings in North West England - The artifacts (1998);

Emery, Gordon, CURIOUS CUMBRIA, The Lake District & Beyond: A celebration of Cumbria (2023)

Ewing, T. 'Understanding the Heysham hogback' A tenth century sculpted stone monument and its context ;

Hall, R. Viking Age archaeology in Britain and Ireland (first printed 1990, reprinted with amendments in 1995);

Holder, G. The guide to the mysterious Lake District (2009)

possibly also (as there within the part of Cumbria dealing with Carlisle, the Eden Valley, Barrow-in-Furness, Whitehaven and the west coast is being dealed with)

Holder, G. Paranormal Cumbria (2010)

http://vikingminds.co.uk/pages/longship

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