Thieves Take Off With Viking Treasure
“Five hundred Viking era silver artifacts have been plundered from a site of archaeological interest on the Baltic island of Gotland.
Two archaeologists employed by Gotland county were dismayed to discover the valuables had vanished when they arrived at a field in Alva in Gotland to follow up on a recent find.”
Read more at The Local.
Filed under: Vikings, Archaeology, Middle Ages History, Medieval History on November 4th, 2009
I enjoyed this comment, which stood out amongst all the other (understandably) outraged ones:
“Does no one see the irony in the Viking hoard being plundered?”
History repeats–
Annis, good observation. It is somewhat ironic
I wonder if the original owner would have thought it a huge joke, or if he’s even now setting up a nithing-post in whatever part of the after-life he currently inhabits
Speaking of nithing poles, here’s an excerpt from Egil’s Saga:
“And when all was ready for sailing, Egil went up into the island. He took in his hand a hazel-pole, and went to a rocky eminence that looked inward to the mainland. Then he took a horse’s head and fixed it on the pole. After that, in solemn form of curse, he thus spake: ‘Here set I up a curse-pole, and this curse I turn on king Eric and queen Gunnhilda. (Here he turned the horse’s head landwards.) This curse I turn also on the guardian-spirits who dwell in this land, that they may all wander astray, nor reach or find their home till they have driven out of the land king Eric and Gunnhilda.’ This spoken, he planted the pole down in a rift of the rock, and let it stand there. The horse’s head he turned inwards to the mainland; but on the pole he cut runes, expressing the whole form of curse.” - Egils Saga, Chapter LX.