This ring is beautiful! It's so large; I'm wondering if it's a thumb-ring.This giant gold ring was dropped by a giant Viking in Essex (link)
The size and weight of the ring suggest that it was most likely worn by a man. It weighs over 32 grams and we know from X-ray fluorescence analysis at the British Museum that the metal is over 95% gold, the rest being silver and copper.
That’s fairly common for gold of this date, to be a good standard. Vikings were very concerned with the purity of the metal. On silver coins you sometimes find little nicks made with a knife blade where they were testing that they’d got decent quality silver.
It’s got a little bit of damage – probably hit by a plough or something in the thousand years that it’s been buried – but it’s our policy to preserve the ring as found and not try to restore it to ‘as new’ condition.
The ring was made by twisting two strands of gold wire and then twisting these with two tapering gold rods to form a hoop. The thin ends of the rods and wires were joined at the back of the hoop by beating them together into a flat, diamond-shaped plate. The plate is decorated with tiny punched circles.
"In ancient Greece, only very powerful men or women would wear thumb rings as a sign of strength and dignity. In Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin and yang come into play. It is believed that the yin (left) thumb ring represents self-confidence, and the yang (right) thumb ring represents flexible nature. Nowadays, the thumb ring is most often associated with willpower and masculinity. Many people believe that wearing a ring on the thumb means strength, freedom, independence and individuality".This ring is beautiful! It's so large; I'm wondering if it's a thumb-ring.
The site looks interesting too. I'll go have a visit.
This and the previous posts are fascinating, Jim. I just love historical things like this. I skimmed the video and saved it to my YT Watch Later queue for a proper look.What Did The Viking Houses Look Like?
There are two links in bold that address the finding of the bones, (in the 1800's) and the exact location these sacks of bones were found.Yes the Valkyrie were only choosers of which of the dead got to be with Odin.
But the body they found buried as a warrior was proven to be a woman. well, at least according to the article.
As far as Judith Jesch and the other article, I say Bah, dang it! Hahahaha
I read over your links. My opinion of them was jokingly "Bahh". LOL, I just wanna believe the body was female. After all, I named my dog Boudica, the Warrior Queen back when the Romans were in Britain.
(Link): "As with all social norms everywhere, there were exceptions; there were a few individual Norse men and women who acted against their society’s gender norms. Some of them even don’t seem to have been looked down upon by the wider society for it. But so as to not have this article turn into an entire book, we’ll just be focusing on the widespread, general rules rather than the few exceptions".I read over your links. My opinion of them was jokingly "Bahh". LOL, I just wanna believe the body was female. After all, I named my dog Boudica, the Warrior Queen back when the Romans were in Britain.
Wow @Meanderer you did a lot of work to post all this. I really loved all of the stories about them. Thank you so much for bringing this!10 Best Female Viking warrior in the history
November 1, 2019 by Richard Marrison
"The standard history popularized in the 19th Century tells us that only men were Viking Warriors. They did trading, fought wars, and treated women in a poor manner.
But, Norse mythology and now science tells us differently.
History does teach us that Norse women were much more liberated than other women at that time. They had the chance to enjoy social freedom".
"They could own property, conduct business, get a divorce, and gain custody of their children. And, Norse folklore and mythology claim that women were also fierce warriors. Poems and stories feature weapon-wielding women called shield maidens".
"The female Vikings are mostly mentioned by Snorri Sturluson in the 12th and 13th Century Iceland Sagas. And, some are mentioned in the writings of historical and semi-historical writers".
Here are the top 10 female Viking warriors in descending order:
Conclusion:
"Despite all of the details about these warrior women, female Vikings or their sagas, are taken as unrealistic events. They are considered as the events of magics or myths which cannot be relied upon".
"Though it is believed that there are no or very little scientific pieces of evidence of the existence of strong, courageous female warriors, goddesses, Vikings, or deities in the present day. We could still find various mythology or literature about them in the past".
"As we go with the literature of the ancient civilization, there were deities with powers. Such as Minerva, Fortuna: who could tell about the luck of a person. The homes of the Vikings were managed by the skill work of women".
"Wars during the Viking age were basically fought using axes, swords, and spears. Women somehow were compelled to take part in such wars with weapons of their comfort".
"Even after the Evolution of Christianity that started denying women’s rights and equality. Warriors like Brynhild or Hervor were worshipped by women doing household works, thinking that even women could be so courageous and powerful compared to males".