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LOT 1652
Viking Age Gold Elfshot Pendant
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D. OR EARLIER
1 1/8 in. (3.41 grams, 27 mm).
Comprising a D-shaped gold cap with integral loop above, inset knapped flint blade.
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This amulet was believed to offer protection against 'Elfshot'. The attack of elves was believed responsible for mysterious suffering in men and livestock: 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.
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AUCTIONS:
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Viking Age Bronze Twisted Bracelet with Flattened Terminals
9th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Two rods tightly twisted and curved into a penannular shape with tapering finials, the bracelet hammered on each side into a square section. 42 grams, 70 mm
From a Sussex, UK, private collection; acquired 1980s-1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
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Viking Age Solid Gold Ring
Circa 9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
Octagonal in section with multiple abrasions to all faces. 8.94 grams, 22.64 mm overall, 17.07 mm internal diameter (approximate size British M 1/2, USA 6 1/4, Europe 13.09, Japan 12)
Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, collector. From his private collection since the 1970s; thence by descent circa 2000. Ex private collection of a Bedfordshire gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The polygonal section of the ring suggests a date of manufacture in Late Anglo-Saxon or Anglo-Scandinavian culture. This feature was noted in respect of some items in the Cuerdale Hoard of 9th-10th century date, for example a ring-fragment (British Museum accession no.1841,0711.508). -
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Viking Age Bronze Dragon Pendant with Foot Dangles
8th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Horizontal braided band with horse-head finial, loop to reverse, band of loops to lower edge, each with a duck-foot dangle; Finno-Ugric type; mounted on a custom-made stand. 79 grams total, pendant: 71 mm wide (13.2 cm including stand)
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
