Northern Europe, Viking / Norse culture, ca. 8th to 11th century CE. A striking bracelet formed from a single four-sided band of 98.22% silver that gently twists and then tapers at each end. The band ends overlap and then coil around one another five times in a manner reminiscent of a snake, perhaps a reference to the Norse myth of Jormungandr (Jormungand), the Midgard Serpent, a child of Loki and a giantess who according to legend grew so large that it was able to surround the earth and grasp its own tail, forming an ouroboros. Petite in form, this lovely adornment was likely made for a Viking child. A unique and gorgeous bracelet, which perfectly embodies a combination of ancient aesthetic and modern taste. Silver quality: 98% with 0.5% gold; Size: 2" L x 1.5" W (5.1 cm x 3.8 cm); weight: 13 grams.
The important Viking metalworking shops correspond to their great trading ports and proto-urban centers - Birka, Helgo, Sigtuna, and Lund in Sweden, Ribe, Haithabu (Hedeby), and Fyrkat in Denmark, and Kaupang and Trondheim in Norway. Silver was the principal currency of the Viking world, which stretched from Russia to northern Canada at the height of their influence. In many places, the Vikings kept silver not as coins, but as jewelry, a wearable currency form that was not subject to the authority of a monarch or mint.
Provenance: ex-Estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, acquired before 2000
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#158519
Condition
Surface with oxidation as shown, else intact and excellent.