Valkyrie from Hårby
The Valkyrie of Hårby ( Danish Valkyrien fra Hårby ) was found by amateur archaeologist Morten Skovsby with a metal detector in a field in Hårby in Assens Municipality on the Danish island of Funen . Today it belongs to the collection of the Danish National Museum .
The figure, only 3.4 cm high, represents a standing but broken Valkyrie . It is made of solid gold-plated silver. Parts of the figure were coated with niello (a black sulfur paste) so that it was multicolored. The woman wears a long dress, the details of which are decorated with niello and engraved patterns. The face is clearly marked with features, and the long hair is gathered in a large bun. The plait forms a round eyelet so that the figure was obviously carried on a string. Her right arm is raised and she is holding a sword in her hand. The left arm holds a shield in front of the body so detailed that even the shield boss is highlighted.
The figure undoubtedly represents a Valkyrie, in Norse mythology a female spirit being , a helper of Odin , whose task it was to bring fallen warriors to Valhalla . We know Valkyrie depictions from a small series of exclusive women's jewelry from the early Viking Age (800 AD). Some details of the Hårby figure correspond to them, so that it must come from this period. However, the jewelry is two-dimensional. The three-dimensional shape allows a very rare, unusually detailed insight into the costume and hair fashion of the Viking Age.
Many finds from the end of the Iron Age and the beginning of the Viking Age have come to light in Hårby , including a gold bar , several silver coins and bronze jewelry . An excavation site has shown that there are many pit houses in the area that were used as workshops for various handicraft activities. Obviously, waste stores with brittle, burnt stones and charcoal originate from the craft activities. Metal finds also come from here. They were used pieces to be converted into new jewelry. The Valkyrie was also likely on its way to the Crucible, but ended up in the trash.