Product description
This medieval spinning whorl is modeled after a Viking-era find from Birka, Sweden. Conical spinning whorls made from clay were commonly used during the Viking Age, though round-shaped whorls were also present.The whorl measures about 4 x 2.5 cm and features a conical hole with a diameter of about 1 to 1.5 cm. Early spinning whorls date back to around 6000 BC, with hand spindle spinning going back to the Neolithic. The first primitive hand spinning wheels didn't appear until the High Middle Ages, around the 13th century.
Modern hand spindle spinning differs from the medieval method in several ways. On modern spindles, the spindle and whorl are typically fixed together — medieval spindles had a loose connection instead. Spinners made whorls from clay, bone, antler, and sometimes soapstone. The whorl simply slipped onto the conical spindle, letting the spinner swap whorls to adjust weight for different amounts of yarn, or remove it entirely when the spindle was full.
