Viking Burial Ground Held a 'Magic' Sword from the End of the Viking Age

First Posted: Jul 15, 2015 10:19 AM EDT

Researchers may have uncovered a "magic" Viking sword in Langeid in Bygland in Setesdal. The sword is not only from the late Viking age, but is embellished with gold, inscriptions and other ornamentation.

In the summer of 2011, archaeologists from the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo discovered a Viking burial ground in Langeid in Setesdal in southern Norway. In one of the graves, though, they made a startling discovery.

"Even before we began the excavation of this grave, I realized it was something quite special," said Camilla Cecilie Wenn, one of the researchers, in a news release. "The grave was so big and looked different from the other 20 graves in the burial ground. In each of the four corners of the grave there were post holes."

The post holes actually reveal that there was a roof over the grave, which is a sign that the grave had a prominent place in the burial ground. When they found the actually coffin, there were only a few traces of gifts for the afterlife-small fragments of silver coins.

"But when we went on digging outside the coffin, our eyes really popped," said Wenn. "Along both sides, something metal appeared, but it was hard to see what it was. Suddenly a lump of earth fell to one side so that the object became clearer. Our pulses raced when we realized it was the hilt of a sword! And on the other side of the coffin, the metal turned out to be a big battle-axe. Although the weapons were covered in rust when we found them, we realized straight away that they were special and unusual. Were they put there to protect the dead person from enemies, or to display power?"

The grave itself is from around the year 1030 at the very end of the Viking Age. The sword likely belonged to a wealthy man; it's 94 cm long and the handle is wrapped with silver thread. The hilt and pommel at the top are covered in silver with details in gold, edged with a copper alloy thread. There were also remnants of wood and leather on the blade, which were probably remains of a sheath that once held the sword.

Sagas actually emphasize the important of an ornate sword. Swords could have hilt of gold with ornamentation and magical runes.

"In Medieval literature, swords are referred to as aesthetic, powerful and magical objects," said Hanne Lovise, one of the researchers. "The many similarities between the descriptions of swords in Norse and Medieval literature suggest that the splendor of the sword in the latter had roots in the Viking notiosn of the symbolic power, magic and ritual aspects of the ornate sword."