Excavated Scandinavian Viking Bardic Silver Belt Plate

Code: 10649

This is a rare Scandinavian Viking silver belt plate, dating to the 10th - 11th century A.D. It was excavated with a group of plates (belonging to the same belt), that would have once belonged to a Bard or Seer. The larger plates in the group (not included in this lot) depict Huginn and Muninn, the ravens of Odin. Huginn represents 'thought' and Muninn 'memory'. Generally, Viking warriors would have no need for a silver belt depicting thought and memory, but this would come in handy to a Bard or Shamanic Seer. The belt plate is stamped from silver sheet, in imitation of repousee work. Such a belt would have been very 'showy', a display of wealth and worn as a mark of rank. It is likely to have been gifted by a Jarl to his favorite Bard as a mark of favor. Very few of these belts are ever found, most being recycled in the bullion economy for the weight of silver.

This sale is for one of the smaller double triangle plates, this would have originally been a spacer (mounted between the larger raven plates) see the last photograph for the entire belt.

OBJECT: Belt Plate x1 small

CULTURE: Viking

DATE: c. 10th - 11th century A.D.

MATERIAL: Silver

SIZE: 22mm x 16mm

WEIGHT: 1.3 grams

PROVENANCE: Ex. R. Doussy Collection, Staffordshire