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
Jelling Brooch
12017-05-20T09:21:36-07:00Read Wilder31bf4715220144a665996f2e6cae80a1a8611ead164562An Anglo-Scandinavian disc brooch in the Jelling styleplain2017-05-20T09:28:54-07:00Kershaw, Jane. Brooch. Still Image, 7–10, 2015. RESEARCH-FBB2B5. Portable Antiquities Scheme. https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/731893.875-950 ADRESEARCH-FBB2B5CC BY52.607070, 0.859199Copper Alloy with GiltPortable Antiquities SchemeBreckland, EnglandEarly MedievalRead Wilder31bf4715220144a665996f2e6cae80a1a8611ead
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12017-05-19T22:06:18-07:00Jelling Brooch10Object Pageplain2017-09-21T21:54:39-07:00Brooches played a prominent role in Norse fashion, signifying class for women in particular. Many styles of brooches existed, originating from both Saxon and Scandinavian traditions, or gradually a mix of both in Viking Age England. Depending on their style or material of composition, brooches could make significant statements about the wearers wealth and social status.
Featured here is a disc brooch of the Jelling-style found in Norfolk Britain, featured as evidence in Jane Kershaw's article, Culture and Gender in the Danelaw: Scandinavian and Anglo-Scandinavian Brooches. It dates to circa 875-950, during the height of Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon interaction. Such a brooch would probably have been worn by a woman, perhaps of middling social standing. The brooch has a variety of elements, leading to a confusing narrative explanation of its use. The copper alloy was not a particularly high status material, although apparent gilding on it suggests a degree of luxury. Additionally, the disc style of brooch was usually worn more conservatively by Anglo-Saxon women and tended to have less prestige. Its origin, however, appears to be from Scandinavia based on its construction and the Jelling-style designs on its face. The motif of two beasts eating their own tails while grasping each other appears frequently in the Jelling style, which is characteristic of Scandinavian brooches. A brooch like this demonstrates the cultural exchange occurring between England and Scandinavia during the Early Middle Ages, and how their interactions led to not just political change, but cultural mixing as well.[1]
The account of Ibn Fadlan, a Muslim diplomat interacting with Norse merchants on the Volga, describes brooches in great detail. He marks that all women wore a brooch of some sort, of varying metals depending on their husband’s wealth. His observations indicate that copper might have been of higher status than many other metals, like iron. Fadlan’s account opens new avenues through which Kershaw’s argument can be applied to the wider Norse world. Brooches could act as a status symbol for both men and women, not just in England, but even as far as trading communities in Ukraine.[2]