Viking Age Sword Pommel - an exciting addition to our collection

Dateable Viking Age finds are actually quite rare in the Shetland Museum collection. We have assemblages from early settlement sites such as Norwick and Underhoull in Unst, that include stone tools and steatite objects of Norwegian origin. These imports are described as ‘starter kits’, brought by incoming Scandinavians settlers. Shetland Museum was recently awarded an exciting Viking Age find through the Treasure Trove process – a beautiful copper alloy sword pommel with a date range of AD 900-1100 discovered in Fetlar.

The pommel is a 5-lobed type, that largest lobe in the centre with two others at either side of decreasing size. It is cast with equal sides and a hollow base, with a rectangular hole through the largest lobe – there is still a corroded iron plug in the hole, the remnants of a longer pin that would have attached the sword blade to the hilt (handle) and pommel. The blade of the sword unfortunately did not survive. The pommel is quite heavy at 241gms and would be a balancing counterweight to the sword’s blade, but also it helped with the grip, helping the user to control the sword without their hand slipping.

The pommel is an Anglo-Scandinavian type, and similar swords have been found in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark, as well as other areas in western Europe. The majority of Norwegian examples were discovered in male graves, but we do not know if the Shetland example was related to a burial.

Swords of this type would certainly have been a status symbol and therefore likely buried with its owner. It may never have been used in battle but rather it was an item that highlighted the owner’s standing in the community. We can only guess who our Shetland pommel may have belonged to – a mystery Viking!

Jordan, our Collections Assistant has imagined how it might have looked on a sword for context - see his illustration below. The handle, cross and guard and blade are based on a Norse sword artefact.