Viking Earspoon from Birka

This is a copy of an outstanding find from a woman’s grave in the Swedish Viking town of Birka (grave 507). It dates to the 9^th or early 10^th century.

Earspoons were part of a woman’s toilet items, and were often decorated and worn hanging as a piece of treasured jewellery.

The front of the spoon depicts a woman bearing a drinking horn, a symbol found elsewhere, often interpreted as a Valkyrie. It could equally symbolise hospitality and female authority, as the head of the household welcomes a guest. The reverse side of the spoon shows the figure of a leaping wolf, a symbol connected to a warrior. Or perhaps a dog, the guardian of the household.

LENGTH 67 mm (approx.. 2 ½ inches)