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MN Wolf Center - Viking Helmet Die Error?
Sir Rodney:
A recent visit to the International Wolf Center in Ely Minnesota brought two of my greatest interests together, and left me a bit puzzled.
In an exhibit hall dedicated to mankind’s shifting view of wolves through the ages, photographs of bronze matrix stamps from Sweden grabbed my attention. These stamps are basically dies which were used to make copper helmet decorations similar to the famous Vendel helmet. The Wolf Center description of one particular stamp reads:
--- Quote ---The top plates show berserkers battling two bears at a time (left) and dressed in wolf helmets (right).
--- End quote ---
The source of my puzzlement is this, I clearly see boar decorations on the helmets of the warriors, not wolves. Am I seeing this correctly? Does anyone else see what I see?
The plates are located in the Statens Historiska Museer, Stockholm, Sweden. The plate in question can be better viewed here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/historiska/6915493263/in/photostream/
Sir James A:
The tusks, if that's what I'm seeing, definitely says wild boar to me.
Thorsteinn:
Those look like boar to me. They also don't look like they're wearing the clothing to make them Úlfheðinn.
Vincent:
Definitely looks like tusks to me as well. Combining that with the curl of the tail and what appears to me to be that hair 'crest' that starts behind the ears is what finishes it for me.
It would be one thing if the tusks were more towards the front of the mouth, I could see it potentially then as well, but that distinct curve placed thusly in the mouth seems very...boar-like.
Sir Patrick:
Top picture, lower left plate: figure on the right is walking on two legs, carrying a spear, and appears to have a wolfy looking head. Is that who they meant? Berserkers would have crested their helmets with the head of a beast and draped the rest of the pelt over their shoulders, tying the arms around their neck.
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