A pendant or horse harness pendant from the Viking Age found in the Netherlands.
Artefacts wich can be addressed to the Viking Age are extremely rare in the Netherlands. As a collector, I have searched for about 15 years until I stumbled upon someone who had such an item ánd was willing to sell it to me.
This one-off, bronze, pendant was found - so the story goes - during reconstructional work on a park in the city of Deventer, in the Netherlands. App. 40 mm from loop to dragonlike terminal - the loop/hanging is app. 5/5.5 mm size - this pendant is from a design I never came across before. The big 'extra' here is the dragonlike head and tail wich are terminating the pendant on the outside. The even bigger surprise is, that these fragile elements have been preserved so excellent.
The pendant might have functioned as a horse harness pendant, although the overall piece seems a bit fragile in that respect.
Within, we see a four-legged kind of phantasy animal depicted, looking backwards with an almond-shaped eye. At the end of its snout, another 'leg' pops up, wich is the case also on the end of the intertwined tail. The round circle part surrounding the animal is within itself forming a seperate dragonlike animal, wich begins with the dragonlike head outside parting end terminates as the tail near the head. The decoration is to be seen on the forefront of the pendant, the back side hadn't been decorated. The overall execution clearly shows us it was done by a skilled craftsman. This craftsman could as well have lived in Scandinavia and traded in the north of our country where because of this pendant popped up in the soil finally in Deventer, in the Provence of Overijssel. Stylistically, the horse harness pendant can be addressed, according to Steven Ashley, in the style of 12th-century Romanesque art, providing a possible 12th-century date for them. Close parallels known from England can be found in the Portable Antiques Scheme under records
The pendant is in pretty good - complete - condition. Detailled decoration is lacking, apart from some incisions, wich are abraised but still recognisable.
As said, items from the Viking Age are very rare, compared with, per example, England or Scandinavia. In the book Metaalvondsten uit onze bodem/Metal finds from the Netherlands just a handful of items found by metal detectorists over the last 25 years are mentioned. This is to say: items wich have an Scandinavian type of appearance. The kind of backward looking, openworked animal is depicted also in two brooches from the 10th/11th century on p. 63 in this publication. From a later date - the 13th century - on p. 86, a buckle is depicting a same atmosphere kind of animal wich all parts of the feet, tail and head going around in circle. Finally, a pendant from the 12th - 13th century on p.113 is depicting an animal in the same kind of executional way.
Reference: Leenheer, K. and Lugthart, G. Metaalvondsten uit onze bodem, 2017 - a publication from De Detector Amateur.
Well. I could have been with these stones until after dark, but as my wife wanted to travel on.. well.. I see you again, some day, hogback stones from Gosforth. And if you happen to be there one day, do not forget that monument on the outside...
Further on with the Cumbrian hogbacktour !
In - yes, luckily again in - St. Peter's church in Heysham, there is a truly beautiful hogback stone. The guide told us, it had been studyied by Thor Ewing, a writer, in 2000. in 'Understanding the Heysham hogback' A tenth century sculpted stone monument and its context (link), Thor Ewing tells in detail what he dicovered on the both sides of this hogback stone.
Just being brought in the church as late as the 1970's accompanied with some protest here and there among the church visitors, considered as being a token of old paganism, it had been remarkably nice preserved, and a lot of detail can be seen, still. Truly worthwile a visit.
I had a small debate with the guide in the church if the - zoomorphic, in my opinion - faces on the sides were lions (or hippo's). The guide doubted if the vikings could have known about lions. Well I guess so, concerning the runes on the Ancient Greek lion statue at the Arsenal, Venice. For example. Vikings did travel south..
But when he told me he was doubting the vikings 'discovered' (as the native inhabitants were of course, in the first place) America before Columbus, I decided to rest my case..
One has to know when to start and to end a conversation ..
Just discovered the book in a bookstore written by Geoff Holder - The guide to the mysterious Lake District, I knew there had to be another hogback stone in Lowther, St. Micheal's Church. With a promising image described in the text of 'a naval and a land-based force of shield-bearing vikings above a fish and what might be a coiled sea serpent. On the reverse is a row of female figures with snakes, possibly a representation of the hideous hag Hel'. Wow. If that did not sound as a true pagan promised land ..
Not complaing too much after all we have seen, this visit was the dissapointing one of them all. But if you wife states 'I am happy to have seen them' and I am answering 'Measuring is knowing' and the even more obligate verb 'handling 'if we did not see it at all, we wouldn't have known anything at all of how they were looking' the glass was again half full, at the last day of our journey..
The hogback stone appeared to be just being tolerated within the entrance segment part of the church. As something you never use anymore but you do not throw away - entirely. That sort of feeling emerged when seeing this hogback asylum seekers.. Bed, bath and bread, ás we say in Dutch, but no luxury at all and standing on some outcuts of wood, you would balance the table with at home..
Come on, St. Micheal's Church.. care a bit more of your 'children' !
This hogback stone was moved in the church in 1907. Hogback stones layed partially buried in the churchyard before it was dug up and moved into the church.
The promising depiction of a longship - as certainly can be seen after some studying - see http://vikingminds.co.uk/pages/longship
we have missed !
The stone itself is (157 x 50 x 30 cm) and very worn.
The hogback stones in Cumbria - very diverse in quality, but everyone worth a visit ! Especially on a gloomy day in late October ...
The churches to visit - see photos of resp. St. Andrew's church in Penrith, St. Mary's church in Gosforth, St. Peter's church in Heysham and St. Micheal's church in Lowther.
Did I miss out on another one in Cumbria ? Let me know !
In a next blog I will take you to four - still remaining utterly mysterious- statues 'guarding' the graveyard of St. Andrew's church in Dacre..
For the last blog of October 9th see this link.
References: (as always, links to where the books can be ordered are attached).
Edwards, B.J.N. Vikings in North West England - The artifacts (1998);
Emery, Gordon, CURIOUS CUMBRIA, The Lake District & Beyond: A celebration of Cumbria (2023)
Ewing, T. 'Understanding the Heysham hogback' A tenth century sculpted stone monument and its context ;
Hall, R. Viking Age archaeology in Britain and Ireland (first printed 1990, reprinted with amendments in 1995);
Holder, G. The guide to the mysterious Lake District (2009)
possibly also (as there within the part of Cumbria dealing with Carlisle, the Eden Valley, Barrow-in-Furness, Whitehaven and the west coast is being dealed with)
Holder, G. Paranormal Cumbria (2010)
http://vikingminds.co.uk/pages/longship