Vendel horse brooch Birka, left, bronze

Product description

The horse-shaped purple was discovered together with another mirror-image purple as a purple in the Viking grave Bj 854, along with other grave goods. This is an exceptional find, because these brooches deviate from the typical oval Viking brooches. They were placed under the shoulders, one on the left and one on the right, and clearly served to fasten the dress of the buried Viking woman. The brooch has an eye inlaid with red glaze instead of the garnets found on the original. The replica is available in high-quality bronze. On the back is a sturdy pin, suitable for fastening even heavy woolen fabrics, and the dimensions are 5.4 x 3.2 cm.

The original brooches were excavated in the 1870s by archaeologist Hjalmar Stolpe in grave Bj 854 in Birka, on the island of Adelsö in Uppland, Sweden. They were made of partially gilded silver and decorated with eyes inlaid with garnet. These horse brooches were probably manufactured in Scandinavia and were buried in a 10th-century Viking grave.

Stylistic analyses suggest, however, that the horses themselves probably date from the 6th or 7th century, made in Germanic Animal Style II from the Vendel period. A similar original from this period was found in Sandegård in Denmark.

The design and craftsmanship suggest that the horses were originally possibly made as decorative ornaments. Later they were adapted with a pin mechanism to function as brooches. This adaptation suggests their lasting significance, possibly as family heirlooms that were passed down through generations before being deposited in the grave.

In all Indo-European cultures, horses have played an important role. More than 5,000 years ago on the Pontic-Caspian steppe, our ancestors, the Indo-European steppe herders, cultivated the horse. Later, their equestrian culture emerged from this, the horse played an important role as a means of transport, in warfare, and as an aid on the land. No wonder that early on the horse was incorporated into the spiritual world of our ancestors. They believed that the sun was pulled across the sky by a horse and therefore associated the animal with fertility, of both people and the land. The horse also stood for kingship and the bond between the ruling aristocracy and the territory over which they ruled.