Viking group of Hneftafl gaming pieces
Viking group of 'Hneftafl' game pieces. A bronze free-standing horse "king"game piece and three different lead pieces found with it - nine or ten in all - were discovered together. The horse displays a stiff mane, a substantial base, and two dot-and-ring decorative punches on each side. Found just south of York, likely late 9th or 10th century
Aquiring these viking gaming pieces I was dissapointed experiencing hearing the other 5 or 6 had been sold on Ebay. Sometimes metal detectorists lack the cleverness in valuating their found objects and keep them togetherwhen it is urgently neded to do so. It is one thing that the objects one finds isn't the cup of tea of the finder, but one should be more aware of its value for history and preserving their context for the future as best as possible. However; here we have four of them. The other 5 or 6 were more common examples sortalike the three apart from the horse figurine, I was told. Regrettably though I wasn't able to get my hand on images of the examples sold on Ebay. The finder described by someone as 'not the sharpest knife in the drawer'.
As it is..
The remarkable horse, a one-off in my opinion, as I have never seen the sort alike, show some resemblance with Ringerike style figurines known used during the Viking era on so called weather vanes on ships - who happened to pop up in later in more less pagan environments, on churches as windvanes. The Ringerike aspect on the horse is echoïng in the round dot-and-ring positions on the horse. Although not spiral-form as on true Ringerike style art decorations, their position, - one on the shoulder, one on the hip - is remarkable here. Furthermore interesting is the depiction of the manes of the horse, who show resemblance with the way the hair is depicted of kings on pennies of the Viking Age, like the Hiberno-Norse king Sihtric III Olafsson. This, opening the possibility of having been made in the Hiberno-Norse Viking areas within - nowadays - Ireland. The image of a horse casted into a chess/gaming piece is is, on the other hand, totally unknowm from the Viking Age. But one shouldn't dismiss the possibility of having its origin in an example having been seen by a smith or trader in the far East of areas the Norsemen or vikings penetrated into. The way of casting of the horse is refined and crude at the same time. Having been found alongside the 7 or 8 other gming pieces, and no other artefacts in the field surrounding it, the horse piece must have belonged to the set.
Wight of the gaming pieces from left to right: 8.29 grams, 10,77 grams, 20,74 grams and 12,85 grams (horse). The horse's height is 31 mm, 20 mm at its widest point. Its base is 16 mm width.
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 ..
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' !
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.
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