During the viking age the Norse explored and settled a huge swathe of land. As a result We have found Scandinavian artifacts from Russia and the Crimea, all the way to Newfoundland in North America. What makes this even more impressive, is that these objects, despite the huge distances in between them, sometimes share an artistic style. A wonderful example of this is a Borre style Sword Chape found in the British Isles.

What is a sword chape you ask? It’s the metal cap at the end of scabbard or sheath. The caps prevented the sword from tearing the leather sheath, and were often decorated. And your second question is probably, what is the Borre Style? The Borre Style was an artistic style that was most prominent from around 830 to 975. It emphasized gripping beasts, twisting metal ribbon patterns, and animal masks.

Chape's in a similar style to this one have also been found in the Crimea, the Lower Volga, and Northern Germany. Chapes in a similar style to this one have also been found in the Crimea, the Lower Volga, and Northern Germany. What this seems to suggest is that Norse culture, though geographically separated, continued to evolve as a unified entity, to some degree, and implies the existence of channels of communication between Norse settlers across, what some historians have dubbed, a Norse diaspora.

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