The New Valkyrie
On December 28th, 2012, Morten Skovsby, Michael Nielsen, Jan Hein and Jacob Sietam, were exploring a field in Hårby, Denmark using metal detectors. Skovsby got a strong signal from a clump of frozen soil in which he found a small silver face. He took the whole clod of earth back home to thaw, and later cleaned the face to discover a body along with it. He contacted Mogens Bo Henriksen, the curator at Odense City Museums, who told Skovsby that his find was an interesting one that experts decided to analyze.1
What Skovsby found in central Denmark was what would be called the New Valkyrie, a small pendant depicting one of Odin’s legendary female warrior emissaries from Norse mythology. She was originally thought to have been a shield maiden due to the fact that she was carrying a shield on her left arm and a double-edged sword in her right. However, the woman was identified to be a valkyrie based on cross-referencing her design to those of other valkyrie figures found from the Viking age, including on Swedish picture stones around 700 C.E..2
What Skovsby found in central Denmark was what would be called the New Valkyrie, a small pendant depicting one of Odin’s legendary female warrior emissaries from Norse mythology. She was originally thought to have been a shield maiden due to the fact that she was carrying a shield on her left arm and a double-edged sword in her right. However, the woman was identified to be a valkyrie based on cross-referencing her design to those of other valkyrie figures found from the Viking age, including on Swedish picture stones around 700 C.E..2
Experts at Odense City Museums dated the 3D figurine to the early Viking age, around 800 C.E. The valkyrie is made from solid gilded silver and weighs 9.2 grams, standing at 3.5 cm tall. The detailing was done with niello, a black enamel-like material, for her hair, shield, and dress. Her long hair tied back in a knot, and she is wearing a patterned dress. Due to the fact that her back and sides are carved, this valkyrie figure gave scientists previously unknown details about the hairstyle and dress from the early Viking age. All other valkyries were two-dimensional carvings, often on brooches. Though three-dimensional, this particular item is believed to have a similar decorative purpose to those found before. The New Valkyrie was most likely a charm that a woman had worn as a necklace based on the eyelet located between her neck and her hair.
In a follow-up excavation of the area done by Odense City Museums it was revealed that that specific location in Hårby had evidence of multiple pit houses with scrap metal debris, predominantly silver. This pendant may have been in the process of being melted down, but was thrown away instead, hence why she is missing her legs.
To this day, the New Valkyrie is one of a very few three-dimensional figurines found from the Viking age, and the first three-dimensional valkyrie ever discovered.
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