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Odin from Lejre - a unique find at Roskilde Museum
On Friday 13 November Roskilde Museum was able to reveal a completely unique find, which was made during the extensive excavations in Gammel Lejre (Old Lejre).
Since the 1980s Roskilde Museum has carried out excavations in the area around Gammel Lejre, an area which occupies a central place in the history of Denmark. It is here, according to the Norse literature and medieval chronicles, that we find the beginning of the story of the Kingdom of Denmark, which was ruled by the legendary royal family the Scyldings. This was in the period before the conversion of the Danes to Christianity and the transformation of the country to a European medieval state under Harald Bluetooth and his successors.
Over the summer archaeologists from Roskilde Museum, under the direction of Tom Christensen, excavated a hall, which measures 60 metres in length and is therefore the largest hall from the Viking Age found in Denmark. In the 1980s a hall of 50 metres length was found in the same area, this building also dating to the Viking Age. In the latest excavations graves were found, one inside the hall and several outside.
The story of the Scyldings is of course a myth, but archaeological excavations over the years have clearly shown that these traditions are built upon a background of material remains, which convincingly place Lejre amongst the most important localities in the Late Iron Age and Viking Age. The most recent find very much supports the theory of Gammel Lejre as a royal location.
The story of the Scyldings is of course a myth, but archaeological excavations over the years have clearly shown that these traditions are built upon a background of material remains, which convincingly place Lejre amongst the most important localities in the Late Iron Age and Viking Age. The most recent find very much supports the theory of Gammel Lejre as a royal location.
Odin from Lejre, small but significant
The find, a small figure only 2 cm high, is of Odin sitting on his throne. That it is the Nordic gods’, the Æsir’s, supreme god who is depicted, is clearly shown by the two birds sitting on the armrests of the chair. They are Odin’s two ravens, Hugin and Munin, that flew out every day and returned home in the evening to tell Odin all that had happened. The elaborately made chair is Odin’s throne or high seat known as Hlidskjalf. The seat gave Odin magic powers and from it he could see over the whole world. These attributes are connected to Odin in his capacity as the all-seeing and all-knowing god. Up until very recently, the representations of Odin as the ruler, to a greater extent than the warrior, have only been known from later traditions, such as the national romantic interpretations of history during Denmark’s Golden Age or the more modern Valhalla comics. Now for the first time, with the coming to light of Odin from Lejre, we can gain an insight into how the Vikings themselves viewed their supreme god. The figurine is cast in silver, and decorated with gilding and inlay of niello, a black-coloured metal alloy. It is richly detailed and a very beautiful piece of craftsmanship.
Odin was not only the king of the gods, he was also the god of the aristocracy and kings. The rulers had particular need for qualities such as knowledge and insight to govern the land, and bring about progress and prosperity. Therefore the figurine may very well have belonged to one of the local kings of the time in Lejre, of whom legendary kings like King Skjold and King Hrolf Kraki are amongst the most well known. It may be that the figure functioned as an amulet for a person in the topmost stratum of society. It is also significant that the find was made in Lejre, a place which has so much history connected to it.
The find, a small figure only 2 cm high, is of Odin sitting on his throne. That it is the Nordic gods’, the Æsir’s, supreme god who is depicted, is clearly shown by the two birds sitting on the armrests of the chair. They are Odin’s two ravens, Hugin and Munin, that flew out every day and returned home in the evening to tell Odin all that had happened. The elaborately made chair is Odin’s throne or high seat known as Hlidskjalf. The seat gave Odin magic powers and from it he could see over the whole world. These attributes are connected to Odin in his capacity as the all-seeing and all-knowing god. Up until very recently, the representations of Odin as the ruler, to a greater extent than the warrior, have only been known from later traditions, such as the national romantic interpretations of history during Denmark’s Golden Age or the more modern Valhalla comics. Now for the first time, with the coming to light of Odin from Lejre, we can gain an insight into how the Vikings themselves viewed their supreme god. The figurine is cast in silver, and decorated with gilding and inlay of niello, a black-coloured metal alloy. It is richly detailed and a very beautiful piece of craftsmanship.
Odin was not only the king of the gods, he was also the god of the aristocracy and kings. The rulers had particular need for qualities such as knowledge and insight to govern the land, and bring about progress and prosperity. Therefore the figurine may very well have belonged to one of the local kings of the time in Lejre, of whom legendary kings like King Skjold and King Hrolf Kraki are amongst the most well known. It may be that the figure functioned as an amulet for a person in the topmost stratum of society. It is also significant that the find was made in Lejre, a place which has so much history connected to it.
