“‘The helmets of the ancient Scandinavians, which were furnished with crests, usually in the form of animals, were probably in most cases only the skins of the heads of animals, drawn over a framework of wood or leather, as the coat of mail was usually of strong quilted linen, or thick woven cloth.’”
To this the translator of the English edition appends the important information, that “the animal generally represented was the boar; and it is to this custom that reference is made in Beowulf, where the poet speaks of the boar of gold, the boar hard as iron.”
“Sƿẏn eal ᵹẏlꝺen,
Eoꝼeꞃ Iꞃen-heꞃꝺ.”
Nor are allusions to this custom of wearing the figure of a boar—not in honour of the animal, but of Freya, to whom it was sacred—confined to Beowulf; they are to be found in the Edda and in the Sagas; while Tacitus, in his work, “De Moribus Germanorum”, distinctly refers to the same usage and its religious intention, as propitiating the protection of their goddess in battle. As a further illustration, not only of the helmet, but also of the chainwork, the following extracts from Beowulf are transcribed from Mr. C. R. Smith’s “Collectanea Antiqua,” vol. ii., p. 240:—
| eoꝼeꞃ-líc ꞅción | “They seemed a boar’s form |
| oꞃ-oꝼeꞃ hleoꞃ bæꞃon; | to bear over their cheeks; |
| ᵹe-hꞃoꝺen ᵹolꝺe, | twisted with gold, |
| ꝼáh anꝺ ꝼýꞃ-heaꞃꝺ, | variegated and hardened in the fire, |
| ꝼeꞃh ƿeaꞃꝺe heólꝺ. | this kept the guard of life: |
| I. 604. | |
| be-ꝼonᵹen ꝼꞃeá-ƿꞃáꞅnum, | Surrounded with lordly chains, |
| ꞅƿa híne ꝼẏꞃn ꝺaᵹum | even as in days of yore |
| ƿoꞃhꞇe ƿæpna ꞅmið, | the weapon smith had wrought it, |
| ƿunꝺꞃum ꞇeóꝺe, | had wondrously furnished it, [swine, |
| be-ꞅeꞇꞇe ꞅƿín-lícum, | had set it round with the shapes of |
| ꝥ hine ꞅẏðan nó | that never afterwards |
| bꞃonꝺ né beaꝺo-mecaꞅ | brand or war-knife |
| bíꞇan ne meahꞇon: | might have power to bite it: |
| I. 2901 | |
| æꞇ þæm áꝺe ƿæꞅ | At the pile was |
| eþ-ᵹe-ꞅýne | easy to be seen |
| ꞅƿáꞇ-ꝼah ꞅẏꞃce, | the mail shirt covered with gore, |
| ꞅƿýn eal-ᵹẏlꝺen, | the hog of gold, |
| eoꝼeꞃ íꞃen heaꞃꝺ: | the boar hard as iron: |
| I. 2213. | |
| Heꞇ ðá in-beꞃan | Then commanded he to bring in |
| eaꝼoꞃ-heáꝼod-ꞅeᵹn, | the boar, an ornament to the head, |
| heaþo-ꞅꞇeapne helm, | the helmet lofty in war, |
| heꞃe-bẏꞃnan, | the grey mail coat, |
| ᵹuð-ꞅƿeoꞃꝺ ᵹeáꞇo-líc: | the ready battle sword.” |
| I. 4299. |
It will be noticed in these extracts that “mail coat” or “mail shirt” is twice mentioned, as well as the “helmet lofty in war.” Thus the passages in a remarkable degree illustrate this extraordinary discovery, which embraced a coat of mail along with the helmet and other objects. The coat appears to have consisted of a mass of chainwork, the links of which were attached to each other by small rings.
Fragments of another helmet were the following year found in another barrow in the same neighbourhood, at Newhaven, along with other objects of interest. The barrow had, however, at some previous time been grievously mutilated. Of this barrow Mr. Bateman says: “We opened a mutilated mound of earth in a field near Newhaven House, called the Low, two-thirds of which had been removed, and the remainder more or less disturbed, so that nothing was found in its original state, which is much to be regretted, as the contents appear to be late in date, and different in character from anything we have before found in tumuli. The mound itself, being constructed of tempered earth, bore some analogy to the grave-hill of the Saxon Thegn, opened at Benty Grange about a year before, and, like it, was without human remains, if we except a few fragments of calcined bone, which are too minute to be certainly assigned either to a human or animal subject. The articles found comprise many small pieces of thin iron straps or bands, more or less overlaid with bronze, which are by no means unlike the framework of the helmet found at Benty Grange. There is also a boss of thin bronze, three inches diameter, pierced with three holes for attachment to the dress, (?) and divided by raised concentric circles, between which the metal is ornamented with a dotted chevron pattern, in the angles of which are small roses punched by a die. Another object in bronze is a small round vessel or box of thick cast metal, surrounded by six vertical ribs, and having two perforated ears, serving probably better to secure the lid and suspend the box. Although it measures less than an inch in height, and less than two in diameter, it weighs full 3½ ounces. A similar box, with the lid, on which is a cross formed of annulets, found with Roman remains at Lincoln, is engraved at page 30 of the Lincoln Book of the Archæological Institute, where it is called a pyx. Two others, discovered at Lewes, are engraved in the ‘Archæologia,’ vol. xxxi., page 437, one of which has the lid bearing a cross precisely similar to the Lincoln example, whence it is certain that they must be assigned to a Christian period, probably not long previous to the extinction of the Saxon monarchy. The last object there is occasion to describe is an iron ferrule or hoop, an inch and a half in diameter, one edge of which is turned inwards, so as to prevent its slipping up the shaft on which it has been fixed. We also found some shapeless pieces of melted glass, which, from their variegated appearance, might be the product of fused beads; and observed many pieces of charred wood throughout the mound, which may possibly not have been of a sepulchral character.”
Another helmet, or defensive cap, was found some years ago at Leckhampton Hill, in Gloucestershire, the ribs of which bear a striking analogy to the one here described.
A remarkable discovery, which included portions of what is very plausibly considered to be a helmet, was also, a few years ago, made on the estate of Mr. Francis Wedgwood, at Barlaston, in Staffordshire. The particulars of this I now for the first time make public. The grave, which was seven feet in length by two feet in width, was cut in the solid red-sandstone rock. It was about fifteen inches in depth at the deepest part, which was at the south-east corner, and died out with the slope of the hill towards the north-west, and the earth which covered it (which had probably been tempered in the usual manner) was only a few inches in thickness. It was on the slope of the hill. At the upper or northerly end of the grave a basin-like cavity, two or three inches in depth, was cut in the floor of rock (see A in the plan, [fig. 433]). In this hollow, which had evidently been intended for the helmeted head of the deceased to rest in, was found the remains of what I have alluded to as justly considered to be remains of a bronze helmet. The skeleton had, as is so frequently the case in Anglo-Saxon interments, entirely disappeared, but on its right side lay the sword (B), and on the left a knife (C).
The fragments in the cavity consisted of several pieces of curved bronze, highly ornamented, which had probably, with other plain curved pieces, formed the framework of the helmet; some thin plates of bronze; a flat ring of bronze, beautifully ornamented ([fig. 434]), which is conjectured to have been the top of the framework of the helmet; and three enamelled discs, of a similar character to what have been elsewhere found, with hooks for suspension, or attachment to leather or other substance. One of these is engraved, of its real size, on the next illustration ([fig. 435]). The centre is of enamel mosaic work, ground down level with the metal, as in the old Chinese enamels.