Early Viking Toilet Article
Though the exact purpose of this object is unknown, it appears to be associated with women of status and their personal hygiene. Standing at about 6 cm tall, this object is a figurine of sorts. It has a head whose facial features are mostly corroded away but the oval chin and nose are still visible. Below the head is a flatter piece with a hole in the middle which is then connected to a hollow square shaft. As it was found with other objects that hang from the waist, this object was probably also hanging, explaining the hole in the middle.
On its own, the figuring is an interesting find, but objects buried with it imply that this was a woman’s burial, which is comparatively rare in England. The number and variety of objects found have indicated that this is an example of a burial of a woman who held high status. Along with the object described already, there were two sets of hanging bowl mounts, part of a copper-alloy hanging bowl, a pendant with precious metals and stones, two buckles, and several iron tools.[2] The toilet article has a strong association with women; similar items have been found in Scandinavia in burials where the woman’s body is still present. Meanwhile, the presence of tools found at the same location indicate a purposefulness to the placement and has some object similarity with another early Viking woman burial referred to as the Adwick-le-Street burial.[3] Taken together, these objects imply a late seventh-century burial, a glimpse into the life of a pre-Viking Age Scandinavian woman in England.
A handful of objects parallel to this one exist, scattered along the eastern coast of England and some from Scandinavian countries. In Uppåkra, for example, a full body carving of Odin has been found that is similar is style and shape to the toilet article.[4] Though that example has legs, Brundle has grouped all figurines of this type into the wider group of Norse personal amulet-type totems.[5] This object, in particular, serves a dual purpose of something to do with personal hygiene, the religious importance still stands because of its size and thus, portability. It has been suggested that they were not necessarily meant as an outward demonstration of status, but as an amuletic stand-in to the gods, important to the woman and her beliefs.[6] Secondly, the presence of these statuettes in both the Scandinavian and English contexts shows that they traveled. The fact that this figurine comes from the pre-Viking era also means there wasn’t an established Scandinavian presence in England and thus very improbable that it was produced in England. It was most likely made in Scandinavia and thus demonstrates a connection to the homeland that was relatively unchanged even when in a new land.
