A truly wonderful object – exact location unknown – is this so-called idol. This kind of idols has been found in the Finnish area.

640 / 5.000

Images of people on objects are extremely rare in Finnish culture (at the time of the Vikings). Usually only animals, such as birds, bears, wolves and horses are depicted. They are only found among the Finnish (Finno-Ugric) tribes that lived far away in the east of modern-day Europe, sporadically in the – present – ​​Baltic area. The depicted human-like figures are probably amulets or images of shamans. So, either these kinds of objects were used daily, or only during special occasions such as rituals, whether or not performed by a shaman within the tribe.

The object measures just over 58mm in length and 20mm in width and weighs 15.03 grams.

References

Kotkat, Hirvet, Karhut – Permiläistä pronssitaidetta (2000).

Author: Autio Eero

Novgorod the Great, Excavations at the Mediëval City, 1951 – 1962, directed by A.V. Artsikhovsky & B.A. Kulchin by M.W. Thompson