IvaldisLegacy
Dragon Head Ring Pin - Bronze
Dragon Head Ring Pin - Bronze
Regular price
1.000,00 DKK
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1.000,00 DKK
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Wolves and Dragons - Two important symbols in the later Viking age.
This Hairpin is a replication of a Dragon Head Ring Pin found in Varde, Denmark. The original is dated to the Viking Age/early medieval period (scroll through pictures to see the original). At that time Christian ideals and symbols had already begun to influence and take over in custom, culture and art in Denmark, including jewelry. In the Viking age the wolf and beasts in general played a big role in jewelry design (one example is my Urnes-Style brooch). As Christianity came in, other symbols came with it, like the classical dragon, which is a common occurrence in Christian tales, like that of Saint George.
This particular hair pin ends in a full body, 3-dimensional dragon. Its mouth is open, and out of it is reaching a hand, that grasps a free-moving ring.
One source suggests an echo from Viking age myths in this design (1), as in the Viking age you can often find designs of the wolf Fenrir with the mouth of the god Tyr in its mouth. This is referring to the story of the gods chaining the wolf Fenrir, by tricking it. Ty put his hand in Fenrir´s mouth as an insurance to the wolf, that the chaining was not a trick. But after Fenrir saw it was indeed a trick of the gods, he bit Tyr´s hand off.
Now, we don´t know if the design of this hair pin is indeed a callback to that myth, but I am very fond of both the design and the myth of Tyr and Fenrir, so I wanted to include it.
You can buy this pin in bronze or silver.
I personally went to the museum to inspect the original (see last picture) and take measurements. So this replication is as authentic as possible.
Fun fact - a replica of this hair pin in silver was gifted to the current queen of Denmark Margarethe III. when she visited the museum that holds it.
This Hairpin is a replication of a Dragon Head Ring Pin found in Varde, Denmark. The original is dated to the Viking Age/early medieval period (scroll through pictures to see the original). At that time Christian ideals and symbols had already begun to influence and take over in custom, culture and art in Denmark, including jewelry. In the Viking age the wolf and beasts in general played a big role in jewelry design (one example is my Urnes-Style brooch). As Christianity came in, other symbols came with it, like the classical dragon, which is a common occurrence in Christian tales, like that of Saint George.
This particular hair pin ends in a full body, 3-dimensional dragon. Its mouth is open, and out of it is reaching a hand, that grasps a free-moving ring.
One source suggests an echo from Viking age myths in this design (1), as in the Viking age you can often find designs of the wolf Fenrir with the mouth of the god Tyr in its mouth. This is referring to the story of the gods chaining the wolf Fenrir, by tricking it. Ty put his hand in Fenrir´s mouth as an insurance to the wolf, that the chaining was not a trick. But after Fenrir saw it was indeed a trick of the gods, he bit Tyr´s hand off.
Now, we don´t know if the design of this hair pin is indeed a callback to that myth, but I am very fond of both the design and the myth of Tyr and Fenrir, so I wanted to include it.
You can buy this pin in bronze or silver.
I personally went to the museum to inspect the original (see last picture) and take measurements. So this replication is as authentic as possible.
Fun fact - a replica of this hair pin in silver was gifted to the current queen of Denmark Margarethe III. when she visited the museum that holds it.
