Drinking & Blowing Horns

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Viking Age Compendium articles on wargear:

The following list of horn mounts and terminals is not intended to be exhaustive and merely reflects our attempt to categorise by region horn mounts discovered from the Viking Age. Additional finds and possible category changes are likely as our research continues.

Pre Viking Age C5th-C8th

Art
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Literature
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Archaeology

England
- Taplow. Late C6th. Pair of drinking horns
- Sutton Hoo. Early C7th. Pair of drinking horns
Denmank
- Gallehus Horns. Found in Denmark in 1639. Gold drinking vessels in the shape of auroch horns.

Discussion
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Irish Animal headed C7th-C9th

Found in Ireland and Norway
Art
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Literature
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Archaeology

Ireland
- Lismore, County Waterford. British Museum
- Ashmolean Museum

Norway
- Austratt, Rog. ^{(PETERSEN 1940 p.? no.48)}
- Vinjum, Aurland. ^{(PETERSEN 1940 p.? no.74)}
- Voll, Ranem. horn with terminal ^{(PETERSEN 1940 p.71 no.97 fig.79)} ^{(MACGREGOR 1985)}
- Varoy, Naeroy. ^{(PETERSEN 1940 p.72, 73 no.100 fig.81)}

Discussion
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Lismore, County Waterford

Non Animal headed C9th-10th

Art

Scotland
- Bullion Stone. Pictish 900-950AD. depicts a warrior drinking from a large horn while on horseback. Museum of Scotland

Literature
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Archaeology

England
- Trewhiddle hoard = 2 silver mounts
- Cumwhitton Grave 2 (female), plain horn rim mount ^{(PATERSON 2014)}
- Cumwhitton Grave 5 (male), ^{(PATERSON 2014)}
Ireland
Norway
- Lund. ^{(PETERSEN 1940 p.169 no.1)}
- Gjonnes. ^{(PETERSEN 1940 :p.169 no.2 fig.136a-136b)}
- Rokleiv. ^{(PETERSEN 1940 p.169 no.3)}
- Gausel. ^{(PETERSEN 1940 p.169 no.4 fig.137)}
- Bryn. ^{(PETERSEN 1940 p.170 no.5)}
- Hyrt. ^{(PETERSEN 1940 p.170 no.6 fig.138)}
- Hove. ^{(PETERSEN 1940 p.170 no.7)}
- Huseby. ^{(PETERSEN 1940 p.171 no.8)}
- Ryem. ^{(PETERSEN 1940 p.171 no.9)}
- Island. ^{(PETERSEN 1940 p.171 no.10)}
- Fasteraunet. ^{(PETERSEN 1940 p.171 no.11)}
Sweden
- Birka. Only a single grave had evidence for horn mounts. A pair of mounts were found in a burial of a rich female. ^{(ARBMAN 1940 Taf.196)} ^{(GRAHAM-CAMPBELL 1980 cat.65)}
Denmark
- Unknown Provenance. Mount of similar type to the Birka find. ^{(WILLIAMS 2014 p.142, p.267 fig.38)}
Germany
- Thumby-Bienebek? Possible - nothing else known by author
Russia
- Gnezdovo? Possible - nothing else known by author

Discussion
Petersen considers the 17 drinking horns discovered in Norway to be of British origin. Paterson suggests that the relative rarity of drinking horns in the archaeological record may be due to their fragile nature and the difficulty of detecting and excavating them rather than their actual rarity ^{(PATERSON 2014 p.149)}.