A Viking myth and a belt mount..
This week's blog is a guest blog written by David Mullaly, wich I thank him for greatly.
One of the most widely known Norse myths, which provided a cornerstone for the Vikings’ beliefs about their origins, involves the story of Sigurd, a famous hero, and Fafnir, a fearsome dragon which guarded a great treasure. Making a long story very short, Sigurd digs a pit, and when the dragon falls into it, Sigurd stabs it with his well-tested sword Gram, and kills the beast.
The two pictures provide a clear image of a square bronze belt mount, found in the Kievan Rus area of Eastern Europe, which shows clear traces of gilding, and the remains of four fastening posts on the reverse. Almost all of the openwork mount is filled with the body and central head of a beast, presumably a variety of serpent or dragon. The head is identical to heads of beasts which are associated with the Borre style of Norse decoration.
In fact, the Borre style is probably the most commonly Viking style found on clearly Scandinavian items in Eastern Europe, since the Swedish Vikings who travelled east to both explore and in some cases settle did so primarily in the 9th and early 10th centuries, when the Borre style was predominant in Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia.
However, if you look closely at the bottom left of the square, you can see an almost circular swirl of lines surrounding what may be a human figure. Note that there are hatching lines or similar etched details covering the dragon, and the swirling lines in the corner are different. Also, if you look to the right of the figure, you see a thin horizontal element, highlighted by the open areas around it. That element is unlike anything else in the scene, and seems to connect the human figure with a leg or foot of the beast.
I would suggest that the mount portrays the killing of the dragon Fafnir by the hero Sigurd using his named sword Gram. The horizontal element is likely the sword, and Sigurd is shown stabbing the beast with it. Although other theories are possible, this one seems to be the best fit for what we see here.
Isn’t it remarkable that a craftsman devoted so much time to the decoration on a small bronze mount like this? What may be more remarkable is that there are very few known representations from the Viking period of Sigurd and Fafnir, one of the truly seminal myths of that culture. As far as I am aware, this is the only known example of this fascinating mount.
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