Munnharpe
The munnharpe is less than ten centimeters in length.[1] Made from a single piece of iron, the munnharpe has two long thin offshoots connected at one end. At this end, the two offshoots bend away from each other forming a circular end. This object was recovered north of Oslo in Norway, but the time that it was made and used is not certain.
The munnharpe, more widely known as a Jew’s Harp or Jaw Harp, is an instrument that is played by hitting a thinner piece of metal that sits between the two parts of the frame of the instrument.[2] A person would hold it against their teeth, and by shaping their mouth differently, would be able to make different tones. The instrument is thought to have originated in Asia and unsurprisingly the sounds that it makes are very similar to ones heard in steppe music. It produces an almost guttural sound, and does not have many similarities to medieval European music. The presence of this object in Scandinavia indicates that as raiders and traders the Norse had access to many other different cultures, and at some point incorporated this foreign instrument into their own music and culture.
The discovery of a musical instrument also provides insight into Norse life and helps to present the vikings as people who had their own cultural identity rather than as barbaric raiders. Many texts, including the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles in years such as 787 and 793 CE, describe only viking raids because that was what the writers were exposed to, but in doing so neglected to describe everyday life for a Norse person and especially life in Scandinavia.[3] Due to the lack of written information, historians turn to objects such as this one to get a broader picture of vikings to show them as more than just raiders. This munnharpe shows the interconnectedness of the Norse people to the rest of the world and helps to soften the image of a barbaric viking raider by providing insight into the culture of Scandinavia.
