NEWS3.pdf

VIKING HERITAGE

NEWSLETTER

I N T H I S I S S U E

Islendinga – Australian re-

enactors ..........................5

A new museum in old

Uppsala ..........................6

The Vikings in the Iberian

peninsula, issues to

consider ..........................7

The excavation of a chief-

tain’s manor in Slöinge ..9

The Viking skeleton. Photograph: Sigurdur Mar Halldórsson.

A new treasury at

Gotlands Fornsal ..........11

Viking in Iceland

By Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir, University of Gothenburg

Viking Period cemeteries

at Fidenäs, Gotland ......12

Where was Leif Eiriksson’s

Vinland? ........................14

In July 1995 a couple taking a walk through a valley in the eastern part of Iceland

chanced upon an unusual-looking metal object sticking about 20 centimeters up

out of the ground. Upon closer examination they could see that this object resem-

bled the tip of an ancient sword. Moreover, bones of some type were scattered

throughout the vicinity. The couple, having a hunch that this might be of some

significance, notified the director of the National Museum immediately. It was in

this manner that one of the most significant archaeological discoveries concerning

the history of Iceland’s settlement was made.

What the couple in fact had stumbled upon was a pagan burial site: that of an

ancient Viking and his horse. Graves of this kind are called kuml in Iceland. They

are often covered with layer of dirt and rocks. At the time of the burials these graves

were clearly visible, but today it is almost impossible to distinguish them from their

surroundings. The graves are usually found by accident, either because of road

construction or other human caused disruption.

The most distinguished part of the Viking’s graves is the haugfé, the property

buried with the Viking. Males were almost always buried with their weapons and

females with their jewelry. It is common to find remains of boats in the graves and

these are found both with males and females. Dogs normally accompanied their

masters into the grave as well as the horses meant to carry their owners to Valhöll.

Horses were normally saddled and bridled, prepared for their last ride.

More to read on page 2...

HERITAGE NEWS ........17

The battle and

market at Foteviken.

West-Viking: Norse in

the Norse Atlantic.

Investigations in the

Black Earth.

NUMBER 3 • 1998

The Last

VIKING HERITAGE Newsletter 3 • 1998

The Last Viking in Iceland...

The grave in Skriddalur valley lay on

the banks of the Thórisár river. The

grave was oriented with one end point-

ing south and the other to the north.

This is the common orientation of

pagan graves. The man was placed in

the southern part of the grave and the

horse by his feet in the northern sec-

tion. The man was supposed to rise

towards the north, to the open North-

Atlantic sea, in the direction of the

Skriddalur valley.

The Viking lay on his back with his

knees drawn up, which is a common

position found in graves from pagan

times throughout Northern Europe.

The grave was lined with skin, proba-

bly from a horse. This is the first exam-

ple of a grave lined with skin discove-

red in Iceland, but it is common in

Scandinavia. Wooden coffins were rare

in Iceland during the first years of the

settlement.

The man was 30-40 years of age,

judging by the condition of the teeth

and skull, and therefore well past his

prime in that day of age. He was of

average height, or 170 cm. The grave

site is one of the wealthiest and most

significant ever found in Iceland and

there is no doubt that it dates to pagan

times in Iceland. As you probably

know, pagans believed in life after

death and felt that the deceased individ-

ual would be no less in need of their

personal possessions in the afterlife.

The main distinction of pagan graves,

therefore, are artifacts found buried

with human remains.

Icelandic grave sites tend to be sparse

in comparison with those found in

other Nordic countries. Considering

the splendor of the burial site in ques-

tion, one might well draw the conclu-

sion that the man laid to rest there was

no commoner. He was buried in full

dress, accompanied by his horse, and

weapons. Also found in the grave were

sword, shield, ax, spear point, the point

of an arrow, two whetstones for sharp-

ening swords, a large soapstone pot

(the only one preserved in Iceland), a

ringed cloak pin, a buckle, a belt tip, a

stone of agate which is supposed to

bring you luck, a small tin ring, two

amber beads and a small purse contain-

ing four weights for regulating trade, a

flintstone for making fire, and oddly

enough one English coin.

The Viking found in the Thórisá-

barrow in Skriddalur valley was also

buried with his horse, a common cus-

tom for wealthier Vikings. The horse

appears to have been young and strong,

and was undoubtedly specially chosen

for the important task of carrying the

deceased to the world’s end.

The deceased gentleman was obviously

well equipped for his journey to

Excavation plan of the Thórisá-barrow in Skriddalur. Drawing: Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir

VIKING HERITAGE Newsletter 3 • 1998

The Viking´s soapstone pot, sword, whetstones and jewelry are expelled at the excavation. Photograph: Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir

Valhöll. In his right hand he held his

sword and in his left a shield, as though

prepared for a challenging battle. Some

scholars believe that corpses laid to rest

in a battle position had been killed in

battle. According to pagan beliefs those

who lost their lives in that manner

went to Valhöll, whereas those who

surcome in a disease went to Heljar.

The soapstone pot found in the grave

was presumably placed there to ensure

that he would suffer no shortage of

food on the way to Valhöll, where food

supplies were believed to be never

ending.

The weapons found were skillfully

made. The sword, the ax, and the spear

head were made of iron, with a hint of

silver inlay. The sword is heavy and

flashy, and its length is 92 centimeters.

Accompanying the sword were sharp-

eners so its bite would not lessen in the

battle of the new world. The shield

made of wood, was rounded and its

center was made of iron. All remaining

of the shield is the iron center and

some wooden splinters.

The jewelry found indicates that the

man was well dressed. He wore a cloak,

presumably fastened with the ringed

cloak pin, the buckle and tip, both

made of bronze, decorated with dragon

heads and other motives that stem

from the Viking period in North-

Europe. The ringed pin is of Irish-

Scottish origin. Similar ringed pins

discovered in Ireland and Scotland,

have been dated to the end of the tenth

century

The buckle and the belt tip is deco-

rated in the style of Borró. This style

was common in the first part of the

Vikingperiod in Scandinavia, and origi-

nated in Norway in the end of the

ninth century. This is the first

Scandinavian decoration motive used

in Iceland. The man also wore the two

amber beads around his neck, but these

were probably imported from

Denmark.

The horse was killed shortly before

the burial for the sole purpose of fol-

lowing its master to the other world, as

dictated by pagan beliefs. The riding

gear gives yet another clue as to the

social position of the deceased. The

animal was saddled and bridled, as

shown to by the bits, cinch rings and

nails. This practice, in fact, bears a

resemblance to other burial sites of sig-

nificance from the same time period

which have been found in Iceland.

Among the Icelandic population

there is much speculation as to the

identity of this distinguished person.

We know that the Viking buried in the

grave was a nobleman of Iceland, per-

haps born between 930-940. Several

renowned men have been suggested as

being this person found. One of these

is Thórir Hrafnkelsson, son of the

famous chieftain Hrafnkell Freysgodi.

Another is Thórir Atlason, son of

Graut-Atli. Graut-Atli had settled on

the eastern shore of the lake Lagarfljót

and lived at Atlavik. Thórir is believed

to have come from Norway with his

parents. He later married a daughter of

a man named Brynjólfur, who settled

in Skriddalur valley in the early settle-

ment period.

Many people want to lay claim to our

Viking, even our Norwegian cousins.

The origins of the Viking can undoubt-

edly be traced to Norway as the major-

ity of his belongings are connected to

Norway in one way or another. But

first and foremost, the grave site itself is

significant from an archaeological point

of view. The task of the archaeologist is

not to determine the identity of the

individual but rather to use the infor-

mation gleaned to shed light on the

time period in which he lived.

The tradition of burial goods was

adhered during from 900 AD to the

VIKING HERITAGE Newsletter 3 • 1998

advent of Christianity in 1000 AD in

Iceland. Mortuary sites from the begin-

ning of this period tended to be luxu-

rious, becoming increasingly austere as

time went on. The artifacts in the site

in question are believed to date from

approximately the same time: the turn

of the tenth century, and the splendor

in which the deceased was buried sup-

ports this theory. Had it not been for

the coin found in the grave one might

well have assumed that the skeleton

had lain there since that time and in all

likelihood one of the first Icelandic

settlers. The coin, which is English, has

been dated and was minted between

955-957, as testified to by the cameo

on it of King Eadwig, who ruled

England at that time. The site has now

also been radiocarbondated to the last

period of the tenth century.

This dating, which is likely the most

exact ever of Icelandic graves, confirms

the theory that the gentleman in ques-

tion was buried with an inheritance.

These conclusions are considered

significant because they question the

dating of other pagan graves excavated

in Iceland. Until now dating has been

based entirely on the age of objects

found in them. The grave found in

Skriddalur valley two years ago, is also

one of the most important findings

grave sites from the pagan period in

Iceland. The main reason for this is

how richly prepared the Viking was.

Extravagant graves from the end of

pagan times have also been found in

neighboring countries to Iceland.

These pagan graves have been interpre-

ted as symbols in the effort to reestab-

lish pagan religion which at that time

was deteriorating. It may well be that

the grave in Skriddalur valley is an

example of such late pagan revival in

Iceland. If this is so, it may also be

postulated that the preaching of

Christian religion, did not proceed

without conflicts, in the contrary to

what has been suggested in written

Icelandic sources.

However, the grave in Skriddalur

valley is the youngest one found in

Iceland, The artifacts show us how

strongly the Icelandic people believed

in an after life in Valhöll, or Heljar, so

close to the Christianization of Iceland

by the decree of the Altingi in the year

of 1000. If the Vikings were pagans,

and indeed not Christian, we can there-

fore say that in the Thórisá-barrow in

Skriddalur valley was the last Viking in

Iceland buried.

References:

Eldjárn, Kristján 1956: Kuml og haugfé

í heidnum sid á Íslandi . Reykjavik.

Islensk fornrit I. Íslendingabók.

Landnámabók . 1968. Jakob

Benediktsson gaf út. Reykjavik.

Roesdahl, Else 1997: Cultural Change-

Religious Monuments in Denmark c.

AD 950-1100. In Rom und Byzanz im

Norden . Band 1. Red. Michael Müller-

Wille. Stuttgart.

Fanning, Thomas 1994: Viking Age

Ringed Pins from Dublin . Medieval

Dublin Excavations 1962-9 1. Ser. B,

voL 4. National Museum of Ireland.

Royal Irish Academy.

Klonovski, Eva Elvira 1996: Lysing á

mannabeinum úr fornminjafundinum i

Thórisárdal . Report. Skjalasafn

Minjasafns Austurlands.

Steinsland, Gro 1990: The change of

religion in the nordic countries - a con-

frontation between two living religions.

Collegium Medievele 1990, nr. 2.

Halldur Gudmundsson 1995: Athugun

á synum úr kumli i Skriddal . Report

from Idntæknistofnun. Skjalasafn

Minjasafns Austurlands.

Kristjánsdóttir, Steinunn 1996:

Thórisárkumlid. Glettingur 9 . Red.

Helgi Hallgrímsson. Egilsstadir.

Kulturhistorisk leksikon for nordisk mid-

delalder 1957. Borrestilen. 170. Bindi

II BLIK-DATA. Red. Magnús Már

Lárusson. Bókaverslun Ísafoldar.

Holt, Anton 1996: Skyrsla um grei-

ningu myntar . Report from The

Musum in Sedlabanki Íslands.

Skjalasafn Minjasafns Austurlands.

VIKING HERITAGE Newsletter 3 • 1998

Islendinga- Australian re-enactors

By Blair Cooke

Islendinga is an Australilan re-enactment group focused

on Icelandic Vikings in the period between 800 AD to 1200 AD.

Islendinga members research and

recreate the costumes, tools, jewellery,

domestic implements, food, armour

and weapons of the Viking Age. This

information and equipment allows

Islendinga to arrange presentations on

the domestic, cultural and martial

aspects of the Viking Age. The mem-

bers research and use the fabrics,

colours, styles and jewellery of the

Icelandic Viking culture. Authentic

materials are used whenever available

and are constructed using the same

methods. Cloth is hand dyed with

onion skins, walnut shells and various

roots to achieve the desired colours.

Tablet-Weave that has been designed

and made by our members is used as

trimming on clothes and as leg-bind-

ing. Jewellery is made using the “mel-

ted wax” casting method in the various

styles and designs of the Viking period.

Many items of jewellery also have a

practical application which our mem-

bers demonstrate in displays.

Like other medieval re-enactment

groups around Australia, Islendinga

participates in combat to both standard-

ised and our own club rules. This

includes individual combat, shield wall,

skirmish, fort battles, bridge battles and

projectile combat. Our members train

every week to achieve a high degree of

competence and safety. Our combat

equipment consists of swords, axes,

spears, shields, daggers and bows.

There are also different forms of armor

including helms, gauntlets, gambesons,

mail and lamella. All our equipment is

hand-made by our members using

authentic designs.

Islendinga performs many displays

around Victoria for local shows,

schools, fairs, private functions and the

media industry. From brief appearances

to fully functional encampments, our

members give the audience the chance

to understand the Viking culture and

dispel much of the barbaric perception

of its people. People are often amazed

at the complexity and diversity of the

Viking culture, a great difference from

the commonly held beliefs.

Islendinga frequently hosts and

attends re-enactor weekends at various

sites in our area. Clubs from Victoria

and other states gather to demonstrate

and share their knowledge and love of

history. Every attempt is made to re-

create the Viking way of life. Meals are

prepared using the same foods and

styles of cooking and are eaten using

the same utensils. Each day is organised

around the routines of medieval life

and the turmoil of their changing

world. During these events we have an

opportunity to experience the Viking

lifestyle and further our understanding

of their culture. Australia hosts a bian-

nual event where re-enactment clubs

from Australia and New Zealand, gather

together for what is called “The

Australasian Medieval Conference ”.

This major event is held during the

Easter period and boasts an attendance

of over 400 re-enactors. Events include

some of the largest re-enactment battles

in the world. Markets, feasts, lectures,

competitions, auctions, entertainers

and much more all combine to provide

a cultural experience that spans over

two millennium of history. Islendinga

was the proud host of the 1997 confer-

ence and looks forward to attending

the 1999 AMC. At the end of each

year, Islendinga holds its own Althing

at a town called Walkerville (near

Wilsons Promontory). During the

Althing, decisions are made concerning

the administration and organisation of

the club. Members are elected for the

official positions of the club in a cere-

mony held at the “law rock”. The week-

end is filled with games, celebrations

and our traditional “Combat Archery

on the Beach”.

Islendinga is based in Burwood, a

suburb of Melbourne in Victoria,

Australia. Club members gather here

every weekend to share their research,

conduct workshops in medieval equip-

ment and train with their weaponry.

Veteran members share their experi-

ences and expand their knowledge and

new members are encouraged to experi-

ence all aspects of medieval re-enact-

ment.

Islendinga is a democratic club where

all members are involved in decisions

and organisation. The club has four

elected official positions:

Logmann (president): The Logmann

is the figurehead of our club and is

responsible for organising most events.

The Logmann is also required to make

a speech at the conclusion of each event.

The interior in one of the Viking Age tents.

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