Viking Bronze Buckle with Wolf's Head

Comprising a silver sleeve with a knapped flint arrowhead, a circular cell set with a clear glass cabochon above. 3.46 grams, 44.84 mm



From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.

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.

Depicting a male figure with almond-shaped eye, pointed curved chin, small nose, long hair with a curl above the forehead; dressed in a loose short-sleeve tunic(?), with hands and neck tied together; facing a bird with large almond-shaped eye, curved beak and prominent crest or feather(?) on the top of its head, finely incised feather decoration; a pin to the reverse. 8.66 grams, 43.14 mm



From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.

The design on this mount is inspired by Scandinavian and British Isles Viking art, but the style of execution points towards foreign workmanship, possibly continental European. Some features are very distinctive for Viking art, such as a curl on the top of the head and almond-shaped eyes, which can be found also on small mounts of female figures holding a shield, found both in Scandinavia (Vrejlev, Denmark) and England (Ipswich, Suffolk). The face style, with distinctive curved chin, is typical of those on picture stones from Gotland, Sweden, especially the ones from Stora Hammar and Sanda. The style of bird is unusual, but the closest parallel can be found on the Franks Casket, which could have served as an inspiration for the style of the mount. The story is most likely that of Wayland (also known as Volundr or Weland), the most famous blacksmith from Germanic mythology, attested both in Viking and Anglo-Saxon mythology. The poem Volundarkviða from the Poetic Edda tells how Volundr and his two brothers married swan maidens (valkyries) and lived with them for eight winters, after which their wives abandoned them. Unlike his brothers, Volundr decided to stay at home waiting for his wife to return, but was captured by King Niðuðr and imprisoned on an island. A ring, which was given to Volundr by his wife, was taken from him and Niðuðr gave it to his daughter, Boðvildr. In revenge, Wayland killed the king's sons when they visited him in secret, and fashioned goblets from their skulls, jewels from their eyes, and a brooch from their teeth. He sent the goblets to the king, the jewels to the queen and the brooch to the king's daughter. To humiliate the king even more, he raped princess Boðvild when she visited him to mend the ring given to her. He then escaped with artificial wings he created from birds' feathers. The suffering of a blacksmith is attested also in the Old English poem Deor, in which there is also a mention of his imprisonment by King Niðhad. His story can be also found on artefacts, notably the Franks Casket and the Ardre picture stone. Some of the most famous swords and armour was said to have been forged by this legendary blacksmith. The other interpretation of a bound figure might imply it to be Loki, imprisoned after his betrayal of the Æsir gods and bound with the entrails of his own son. The bird, in this case most likely a raven, can represent a messenger of Odin. We know from the Norse poem Baldrs draumar that Odin visited a volva (seeress or wise woman) in the realm of the dead, Helheim. After an exchange of words, in the end he accuses her not to be a wise woman, but rather the mother of three giants to which she responds that no one will visit her until Loki will be free. Some scholars' (e.g. Ursula Dronke) interpretation is that the volva was Loki disguised, imprisoned in Helheim, who fathered three world monsters with giantess Angrboda (Fenrir, Jormungandr, Hel) and the mount can point to the scene of conversation between bound Loki and the raven, the messenger of Odin.

Scaphoid in section and D-shaped in plan with three holes to accept mounting pins; low-relief foliage detailing to both broad faces, trefoil median lobe. 32.77 grams, 57 mm



Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK.