What can you guys tell me about this helm?

This is what I can tell you:

Bronze helm. Found in Denmark. Nordic. Circa 1000-800 BC.

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Wild guessing. Religious dance piece. Looks like sockets, hooks etc. for added decoration. Used to be a pretty old horn dance near where I grew up, which was probably scandinavian in oriigin. I suppose a more sensible answer would be 'nothing'.
Geoff

I'm with Geoff. That's a ceremonial helmet. Are you sure the dating is correct? It looks like a Bronze Age piece to me.

It is one of a pair found in the bog Brøns near Veksø on Sealand (the larger og the two large danish islands). They have been dated to about 800 BC.

They are considered to be purely of ceremonial purpose, the metal is very thin and the horns are cast over a clay-core, which is still partly intact inside the horns (or head mounted phallic symbols if you like).

The faces on the skullpiece are normally considered to be representing birds of prey, with curved beaks. The slit on the top of the skullpiece is most likely meant to serve as a mount for a feather decoration. Birds seem to have a very special place in the latter bronze age religion - together with ships, horses, complicated sun-symbols and phallic symbols of many diffrent shapes. There is no doubt that fertility has been an important factor in the religion.

A simular horn has been found in another bog, in Odsherred, in Denmark and small bronze figures with very simular horned helmets has been found at Grevensvænge on Sealand. At Bohuslen in Sweden there are some famous stone carvings, showing men wearing horned helmets, while participating in, what could be interpritated as a religious ceremony - which presumeably includes nakedness (and huge erected phallic symbols) and playing on the famous bronze-age instrument, the lur.

I will post some pictures when I get a chance to scan them.


/Jakob

Right, what Jakob said! They are known as the Vikso helmets, and I REALLY want one! Several of the little bronze figurines wearing helmets like these and carrying axes with curved blades are actually in pairs, mounted on a little bar or platform, mirroring the find of 2 helmets together on a plank. My guess is that they represent warrior twin gods of some sort. I would love for these to be battle helmets, but the metal really is too thin and those horns are gonna make them horribly top-heavy. Note that there is a narrow slot running along the crest, probably for a horsehair crest, and little sockets on either side for plumes of some sort. Wouldn't that look wild?

Matthew

To me that helm has never looked like it was even ment to be worn. More like it is just art and not headwear at all.

I love the sword hilt in that photo.

Here we go :D

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Here are more of those bronse figures wearing the helmets and axes:

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More can be seen on the photo page from my visit to the National Museum in Copenhagen (including the actual helmets and axes etc.):
http://membres.lycos.fr/bronzeage/

Thanks for the pictures, Jeroen. I visited the museum in February and was impressed but I failed to take many pictures. In almost every case you find famous objects that have appeared in countless books -- it really is a great place to go and free on Wednesdays, I believe.


Paul

If the horned helmet was meant for combat, they would have sharpened the tips, now wouldn't they? :eek:

:p

I don't know if you can say for sure this is "Nordic" If the date is circa 1000 BCE I
am inclined to label this "Celtic" regardless of it's find location

Doug Gentner