Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 1171
Viking Age Gold 'Elf Shot' Pendant
9TH-10TH CENTURY A.D. OR EARLIER
3/4 in. (0.64 grams, 21 mm).
Formed as a gold cap with rounded claws, set with polished glass gem; integral suspension loop with a later jump ring.
Provenance
From a late Japanese specialist collector, 1970-2000s.
Footnotes
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.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
RELATED LOTS
-
Large Viking Age Silver-Gilt Pendant with Interlace Design
Circa 9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
Cast openwork interlaced cross design with lozenge in centre, ribbed suspension loop. 12.06 grams, 46 mm high
Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK. -
Viking Age or Earlier Hacked Gold Trade Ingot
Circa 10th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £3,120
A slightly bent irregular bar of hacked gold with rectangular cross-section, showing evidence of compression and fracture to each end, some subtle transverse lines on both of the main surfaces. 14.43 grams, 51 mm
Found whilst searching with a metal detector on 1st May 2022 on a Romano-British site in Cambridgeshire, UK, by Trevor Singleton. Accompanied by a handwritten letter from the finder. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.CAM-D819F0 and workflow review page where it states: 'There is evidence that the bar fragment has been cut from both ends, suggesting Early Medieval (Viking Period) parallels.'
This ingot was declared under the Treasure Act and subsequently determined by the British Museum to be of 'undiagnostic' date and therefore returned to the finder. Trevor Singleton maintains that it was recovered from a known Romano-British site, while in neighbouring fields Early Medieval (Late Saxon & Viking) items have been recovered and logged with the Portable Antiquities Scheme. Ingots of gold and silver were regularly produced in the Early Medieval period when trade took place between monetised economies (Anglo-Saxon England, Francia, Frisia) and their non-monetised neighbours in southern Scandinavia (West, 1998; Blackburn, 2011). Ingots were a convenient means of storing wealth which could be converted into display items (weapon fittings, clothing fasteners, tableware) or used to gild silver and bronze items (Hårdh, 1996). -
Viking Age Silver-Gilt Mount with Figure
Circa 10th century A.D.Estimate: £600 - 800 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £300
Sub-rectangular with lip to the reverse; high-relief facing figure with band of straight hair, omega-shaped brow and pellet eyes, stubby body and arms, splayed legs above two omega-shaped elements forming a rosette; mounting plate absent. 15.2 grams, 32 mm
Acquired early 1990s. From an East Anglian private collection.
The identity of the facing figure is unknown. There is an earlier, probably 9th century, Anglo-Saxon strap end with a facing nude male in low-relief which might be comparable (Thomas, 2007, item 8).
