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LOT 1364
Pre-Viking Gold Filigree Aroma Bucket Pendant
4TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
1/2 in. (1.19 grams, 13 mm).
Cup-shaped in sheet gold with applied filigree detailing and granule clusters. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
LiteratureSee Meaney, A., Anglo-Saxon Amulets and Curing Stones, Oxford, BAR British Series 96, 1981, p.166-168, for discussion of the type.
FootnotesPendants in the form of miniature buckets have been found in a number of pagan Anglo-Saxon and Viking contexts and are generally made of bronze or iron, with gold examples being rare; three gold examples were found with the hoard from Hoen, Norway. Bronze bucket amulets have been found at Driffield in Yorkshire, and Vimose bog in Denmark, among other places. In form they represent wooden buckets bound with bronze or iron bands which have been found in Anglo-Saxon and Viking graves and are believed to have held mead or ale and were used to replenish the cups from which warriors drank. As amulets they probably represent the ecstatic power of alcoholic drink and the role of women as the dispensers of these precious beverages.
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Viking Bronze Zoomorphic Strap End
10th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
D-shaped in section with pierced lug to one end supported in the mouth of a beast, pierced flat panel below and second beast-head with open mouth; possibly a belt fitting or part of a horse-harness. 8.7 grams, 49 mm
Found near Grimsby, Humberside, UK, circa 2010. -
Viking Age Jellinge Style Bronze Regardant Beast Pendant
Late 10th-early 11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
With integral loop, openwork regardant Jellinge style beast with tendrils and border. 6.06 grams, 35 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
There is a class of discoid pendants with banded borders and contorted figures found in the hinterland of the Baltic region, associated with the influence of Scandinavian 'Rus' settlers. The design of these items recalls specific elements of Viking art - for example, the 'gripping hands' motif is a feature of the Oseberg Style named after the famous Norwegian ship-burial. -
Viking Age Gold Elf Shot Pendant
9th-10th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £390
Formed as a gold cap set with polished glass gem; suspension loop above. 0.85 grams, 17 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
This amulet was believed to offer protection against 'Elfshot'. The attack of elves was believed responsible for mysterious suffering in men and livestock. 'Elfshot' described sudden shooting pains localised to a particular area of the body, such as in rheumatism, arthritis or muscle stitches or cramps. Elves were thought to shoot darts or arrows where such pains had no obvious external cause. Belief in elfshot persisted into the 20th century in rural areas, and as proof country folk would sometimes find small arrowheads (the remains of Neolithic or Mesolithic flints, or naturally-occurring spear-shaped stones) that were believed to be the magical weapons that caused the afflictions. Belief in elfshot began in the Pagan Germanic period.
