Horned Figurine
The figurine is just over five centimeters long with a square hollow base.[1] There is a rib running down the length of the figure on each side, but the front and back are undecorated. The head of the figurine is a little more detailed, but is still not elaborate featuring a simple three-dimensional head with eyebrows and a nose. There are two horns that come from the top of the figure’s head, but only one has remained intact. It is made from a cast copper alloy. In general, the piece is simplistic, not well finished, and not adorned with any decorations. The figurine was discovered using a metal detector in Suffolk on the east coast of England.
The exact use of this figurine is uncertain; however, it may have been owned by a member of the Cult of Odin (who thought of Odin as their patron god) as a charm, amulet, or possibly a pendant. A similar figurine was discovered on the Swedish island of Öland helping to strengthen the object’s connection to Scandinavia. In this figurine, the horns end in two bird’s heads which could represent Odin’s two Ravens Huginn and Muninn. He and his two ravens are mentioned in many Norse stories including “Life in Valhal” in the Prose Edda.[2]
The figurine also holds value as a historical artifact because it is thought to have been made in the seventh century before the start of the Viking Age. This date is not totally secure, partly because this is a metal detector find and there is no context to date this artifact, but the discovery of parallel objects that also seem to date to this period gives a strong indication that the date is relatively accurate. It seemed to come as a surprise to people in England when viking raiders began to attack coastal monasteries starting with Lindesfarne in 793 CE, but objects like this one show that there was some prior interaction between the two cultures. This interaction was most likely more related to trade, but it does indicate that viking raiders did not appear out of thin air as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles seem to suggest in the year 787 CE.[3] The figurine provides an example of Norse artistic skill in the seventh century, but also indicates that there were interactions between the Norse and English prior to the Viking Age.
