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LOT 1571
Viking Age Iron Fire-Striker with Bronze Serpent Handle
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
3 in. (39 grams, 79 mm).
Comprising a flat band with two hoops for the fingers forming the body of a serpent with raised head behind, iron striking face to the lower edge. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
LiteratureCf. Arbman, H., Birka I: Die Gräber, Uppsala, 1940, pl.144 (2).
CONDITIONTimeLine 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:
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LOT 1571
Viking Age Iron Fire-Striker with Bronze Serpent Handle
Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
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Anglo-Scandinavian Viking Bronze Urnes Style Entwined Beast Stirrup Mount
11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
A rare variant of Williams's Class A Type 10b, a heater-shaped plaque with pierced lug at the apex, two piercings below, low-relief openwork Urnes style design with standing beast and entwined tendrils, narrow ledge to the reverse, the apex terminating in a diamond shape. 30.48 grams, 54 mm
Found Cambridgeshire, UK.
The mount has the decorative scheme of Williams's Class A Type 10b but its proportions are closer to his Class A Type 11 with a narrow and elongated upper knop. -
Viking Period Gold 'Elf Shot' Pendant
9th-11th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £715
Gold cup with hoop and suspension loop, with carnelian insert. 0.78 grams, 16 mm
Ex property of a late Japanese collector, 1970-2000s.
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. -
Viking Age Bronze Twisted Bracelet
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Formed with twisted rods, flat finials with incised geometric ornament. 36.3 grams, 63 mm
Private collection, Arundel, West Sussex, UK, 1975-late 1990s.
