Longship Fleet Carved Horn

This horn ranges from black to white with highlights in cream and white. It has been hand carved to to represent a fleet of Viking Longships with one large one primarily and a smaller one carved fading into the black representing more following into the distance. The top has an Oseberg knotwork band and the tip has been carved into a raven. The longship has a dragon's head and shields on the side of the ship carved to complete the design. The horn is carved on every side so please pay close attention to the images to fully appreciate the craftsmanship that went into creating it.

Longships were potentially called skeiðar (sing. skeið) if they were extremely long, serpent- or drakkar ships when dragon-heads were present, and snekke/snekkja when slightly smaller. They used both oars and sails to reach their frighteningly high speeds which were so instrumental to the Viking raiders’ hit-and-run tactics. They were also narrower than most of the ships from the early Viking Age; the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark, states that archaeologically, ships have to be at least five times as long as they were wide to be classified as longships. The shields of the warriors hung on the outside of the ship.

The Oseberg style lasted most of the 9th century and appears in some Viking religious iconography. Its main feature is the gripping beast motif and sinuous animal forms. Paws grip borders, the neck of the creature, other creatures or other parts of its body. The gripping beast must have echoed something in the culture of Viking art as it stood fast for a good 150 years.

Ravens were brought on Viking Longships. They were released and followed in an attempt to find land. Ravens were such an important symbol for Vikings that they even became the symbol on their flag representing Odin.

You'll receive the carved horn with the Drakkar motif in the images. Each of our carved horns are unique and individually photographed.

Details

Uniquely hand carved

This horn holds 450ml (marked T)