The Viking World: A History in ObjectsMain MenuGallery viewA galleryTag Cloudtag cloud pageThemesA path of thematic categoriesAuthor IndexExplore the collection by authorWorks CitedReferencesAdam Bigelow3afa9c7ecebf516bba6609664b1b12f79c54bf77Caitlin Donahue61b7e986e7c71d400e5c803912ed83c0cf65252fCaroline Harvey1783f21a5882b5b4d3d0b6c174d058052a5ff7eaEdward Hershewee701ef220480b51ca728fc9c719bc094cf813655Martin Hoffmana1fd203afd9a84ee8db567e188cf6ed1d269386eTyler Hruby23493f763b312110686cfafc62578fd0ab5f3833Brittany N. Johnsonc1c1763339f8fa953e3c907c6bb8a3bad0c28b2cCarlos Lua Pineda0a28cc23b0aa00b4f24a9e205aeb57fbdb07ff01Moira McConnell710633400590ea38533ea3412c01fc5056288180Clara McCurdy9aec76477d0b55f9c685c47330d6786ec98182e1Elise McIlhaneyef48481634ff342c8b43c9d56f678b2d3562fb69Cameron Meikle669a5682bfbfd603130a26e25628f24eb07e6295Alexander Christopher Newkirk019c2f5b38c043507251d1789e2fdf47e61c3b7fBenja Reilly816c23aa0d444213fb2d1ef33555a15617e08228Oliver Statenc625ae8c3926f5e1a4268bc91d6a6f4cdb1e7fb6Liam Sullivanaa3a1dccb90c7fe4646b61c4af594abbb0c5574aRead Wilder31bf4715220144a665996f2e6cae80a1a8611eadAliza Yazdanicd49f227d88c72331226ddf574bf56c37308cd10Austin Masonf6137011c68eb792c6e14634815583b15e707dea
Arm Ring Podcast
12017-05-21T14:03:22-07:00Carlos Lua Pineda0a28cc23b0aa00b4f24a9e205aeb57fbdb07ff01164562Podcast Audioplain2017-05-21T15:21:37-07:00Arm Ring 2Carlos Lua Pineda0a28cc23b0aa00b4f24a9e205aeb57fbdb07ff01
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12017-05-21T13:40:06-07:00Arm Ring15Object Pageplain2017-09-19T19:38:30-07:00A king cannot be king without having the loyalty of his followers. Subjects follow kings because they believe in them, love them, or receive tokens that encourage allegiance to a king. Chieftains and Kings of Scandinavia cemented bonds of allegiance with their warriors by bestowing arm rings as symbols of honor to young adult males in a ceremony of validation.[1] Arm rings could be a way to show one’s wealth depending on the metal used for the arm ring.[2]
This here is a complete arm ring that is cut between the ends and curved into an L-shape with a section of the bracelet straightened out. This arm ring is 95% gold weighing in at 324.6 grams (.7 pounds). It is dated to have been made in 850 AD and buried in approximately 1100 AD. The length of the arm ring is 260 total mm (10 inches) with diameters of 15 mm at its center where the gold is thickest, and 6 mm at the thinnest sections on the ends. The arm ring is made of two round and thick rods with beaded wires threaded in between them. The rods and beaded wires were twisted and tapered at the ends. There are small dents along the entirety of its length and a deep cut at one side of the arm ring. The arm ring was found in 1999 in North Yorkshire, York in the possession of a York builder after his death. His son and daughter brought the arm ring to the Yorkshire Museum to identify it and the ring was declared as treasure and bought by the museum.
In Norse Poetry, Scandinavian Kings were referred to as “givers of rings” or “ring givers”. Being a good ruler was synonymous with being a “ring giver.”[3] The importance of arm rings is further demonstrated as many have been found as grave goods but also as part of hoards. The action of giving and receiving gifts was connected to honor and personal validation or worth. Gifts worked to generate fame and honor towards its recipients and enhanced their esteem in the eyes of the community. Viking warriors would be more willing to fight in battle for Kings if their liege lords would enhance their blood with the bestowing of honor symbols made out of valuable metal.
