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Home>>Pre Viking Helms>>Valsgärde/Vendel Area Helms>>The Vendel Helmets
The Vendel Helmets
Update: I have learned that the term "Pressblach" is sometimes applied to the copper alloy plaques on these helmets. I am told that Dave Roper, at the Hoard, makes them in the correct manner- he carves the pattern, makes a die and then beats the bronze over the die with a leather hammer. Unfortunately, he doesn't show all his work on his site but I am told his casting are some of the best around.
Uppland, Sweden and the surrounding area has produced twelve helmets from the Vendel period (this includes the Vendel, Valsgarde and the Ulltuna helmets), eight of them are intact or reconstructable. There is no absolute consensus on the dating of the Valsgärde/Vendel graves, between them all they range from AD500 to the mid 10th century. Since they are so broad, if I have documentation I've included the dates attributed to them. As stated previously, the Vendel graves are totally separate (in an archaeological context) from the Valsgärde graves, ie the are from two separate areas in the Mälaren Valley. But even though they are separate there are obviously cross culture influences. Any information on the subject/area is welcome, please contact the site owner with details.
The following excerpt is an from H. Stolpe's "Graffältet vid Vendel", (The person that translated this for me said the language is very old-fashioned, so the translation can be somewhat strange here and there):
"The warrior graves by Vendel church were constructed during a time-span of over 300 years. The oldest dates back to the 7th century and the youngest can be dated to the mid- or later part of the 10th century. (the dating was established by means of typological sequences. The abundance of ornamented bronze artefacts provides a solid base for the typologies (Salin’s styles for Animal ornaments are represented by the styles II and III – dated from ~600 AD to the early 800’s)"
Though bits a pieces of helms where found in many of the Vendel graves, only 3 of these helms are are intact or reconstructable. So far I've found documentation for the following helms called Vendel helms. When available I have included suggested reconstruction line drawings of the helms that are in "The Anglian Helm from Coppergate."
As I said above, many of the graves contained only fragments of helmets or other items that might mark the grave of a warrior. I have included Stolpe's small descriptions of the graves contents below for these graves.
Vendel 1 helm
Grave I has many artefacts, such as sword hilt, scabbard fittings and bridle mounts, in style II.
The well developed animal ornaments and it’s abundance of interlaced band ornaments on the grave-goods suggests a dating to the later half of the 7th century.1It is possible that this helm shared the same basic sectional construction as the Valsgärde 6 helm but it is hard to tell as this helm was found in a fragmentary condition. What may be a brow band can be detected. The prominent crest has a median spine and ends again with animal heads on both ends. This is combines with eyebrows that are hatched and end in animal heads that look like a backward looking animal that develops into another facing in the opposite direction. The whole helm is covered by decoration in the form of the "copper alloy foils framed and held in place by strips held in place by copper alloy rivets" system common at Valsgärde. It is considered a Group B2 by Arwidsson's classification.
Grave II appears to stem from the years around 900 AD. This is implied by ornaments on the terminal fittings on the shield grip which doubtlessly resembles ornaments on contemporary tortoise brooches etc.1
Judging from the Animal ornaments on the two mounts on the enameled bridle it ought to be dated to the 8th century. The animal’s head is still in an early stage of type III but the inhumation could have taken place in the late 8th century or towards the early 800’s. It seems like the beads and the stirrups etc. suggests a dating to the later half of the 8th century.1
Grave IV is from the Viking Age - the harness crest implies a dating to the 9th century.1
Grave V is almost certainly of a Viking Age date, even though the sparse inventory in the grave makes it hard to perform an exact dating. Most probably the grave dates from the 9th century.1
Grave VI with its buckle-mount decorated with degenerated gripping beasts seems to date from the 10th century.1
Grave VII held an abundance of mounts decorated with the early style III along with later ornaments in the same style. This suggests that the grave dates to the end of the 8th century, but that several earlier ornaments were included in the grave goods.1
Even though a rectangular belt mount with ornaments in a fashion datable to the 8th century was found in the filling of Grave VIII the artefacts in the actual grave – a spearhead and other Iron objects – points towards the mid part of the 10th century. Hence it’s one of the youngest graves from Vendel.1
Grave IX is easy to date thanks to a Samanidian coin minted between 914 –943 AD. Hence the grave date to the mid part of the 10th century – yet again a very late date compared to the other graves.1
Grave X held a Bronze helmet crest in the shape of a beast’s head, along with some iron splints clad in Bronze tinned pressings with band-shaped ornamentations. These artefacts show that the grave dates back to the later half of the 7th century.1
This is very exciting to me, if anyone has anymore information on these "iron splints clad in Bronze tinned pressings" I would be really interested in it. I am wondering if this could me more splint armor like in the Valsgarde 8 and Vallentuna graves. It certainly fits the time frames of the other two graves, IIRC.
Grave XI does surely date from the late 7th century – around 700 AD. The ornamentations belong to the late style II or even the early style III. This can be observed both on Bronze fittings on the shield boss, the grip and the helmet.1
This to is exciting to me as I have never found any reference to this helmet in my research work until finding this passage. If anyone has any information about it I am extremely interested in it.
Grave XII held an abundance of artefacts decorated with ornaments in style II. It seems to date from the mid 7th century – Grave XII A is apparently contemporary to the former.1
It is possible that this helm shared the same basic sectional construction as the Valsgarde 6 helm. The presences of decorative foils on this helm seem to indicate that it might have had the standard brow band and nose-to-nape band. It is possible that traces of strips can be detected that run from the nose-to-nape band to the brow band on the inside of the helmet. No clear conclusion can be made though as this helm find is fragmentary at best. The prominent crest has a median spine and ends again with animal heads on both ends. This is combines with eyebrows that are hatched and end in animal heads that are viewed from above. The area of the brow band and nose-to-nape is covered by decoration in the form of the "copper alloy foils framed and held in place by strips held in place by copper alloy rivets" system common at Valsgärde. It is considered a Group B2 by Arwidsson's classification.
Grave XIII held a very modest inventory. The Bronze bowl do resemble bowls found in Gotlandic graves from the 10th century or even the early 11th.
Iron chains with hooks like the one found in the grave seems to have been most common during the 10th century though and it is probable to assume that the grave itself dates from that century. This might well be the most recent of all the graves from Vendel.1
Vendel 14 Helm
Grave XIV is easy to date trough its abundance of artefacts decorated with ornaments in style II. Judging from them the grave ought to date from the later half of the 7th
century."1
It is commonly thought that the grave in which it was found is one of the earliest graves on the site.
It consists of a brow band, a nose-to-nape band and lateral bands that form the framework. The voids left after this process are filled by two plates, one that is sub-rectangular and one that is sub-triangular. The layout of the decoration hints at the underlying structure of the helm, which seems to be very similar in construction to the Valsgärde 5 helm. The cap is of iron and is to corroded for this structure to be seen. It is the only one found with check plates intact. The shape of the check plates vary from most other plates that exist from Valsgärde. They have a double curved profile to the front edge. The lower ends are extended and curved around to meet under/across the chin. This combined with the broad nasal form very effective face protection. As a side note, for years I have often representing a hooded cobra due to the designs matching those on the back of a cobra hood. Recently it was pointed out the me that it is a
swooping bird. The circles and lines denote wings that are tucked back as if in a diving position. Look at the picture of a reproduction of the nasal by Raymond's Quite Press and you be the judge!** Note the rolled metal strips that hang from hinges from the edge of the cap to form the protective "back plate" of the helm. The cap is of a lower profile than some of the other Valsgärde helms with eye holes that are shallow concavities in the edge of the cap. The crest of the helm is a flat strip riveted to the cap that is decorated with punch ornamentation and ends at the front in an animal head viewed from above, not profiles as is commonly found. This animal head is placed between the eyebrow ornamentation of the helm which were produced separately. These eyebrows are gilded and hatched (see above), punched dots being employed to do so. It also bears
the decorative copper alloy foils that are framed with strips that are then riveted to the cap. Much of the design and ornamentation is thought to be similar to the Broa helm found in Gotland, Sweden. It is considered a Group A1 by Arwidsson's classification.
**AGAIN, I highly recommend Raymond as I've done business with him MANY times and am extremely pleased with his work ethic, his craftsmanship, his devotion to reasonably priced reproductions and he's just really pleasant to deal with! I must also let thank him for letting me use some of his pics on this page as examples.
Tweddle, Dominic. The Anglian Helmet from Coppergate. Council for British Archaeology 1992
Hjalmar Stolpe, 1912, Graffältet vid Vendel (The Graves of Vendel), pgs. 59-60
