Penannulars

...
Viking Age Compendium articles on Rings & Pins

Jewellery

There were two traditions of penannular brooches in the Viking Age. The first coming out of Ireland and adopted by areas inhabited by Norwegian Vikings. This style includes the large silver thistle brooches. The second is from the Baltic and differs in style ^{(GRAHAM-CAMPBELL 1980 p.30)}

Irish Styles

Irish style Ball terminals (Thistle brooches)

Large ornate silver penannular brooches with thistle shaped terminals

Eigg

Irish style Pennanulars

Irish style Pseudo-Pennanulars

Baltic Styles

94 graves in Birka, 61 are men, 22 are women, 11 unknown [ARWIDSSON 1984:p.19-20]. Larger ones are generally men, smaller ones more likely women. Small silver with turned up ends are generally from women’s graves.

Thalin has put forward the hypothesis that the large Pennanulars with animal heads, face masks and a faceted terminal (bj.855) are seem to have a connection to swords found in the graves. It suggests that the penannular might be part of the swords hanging arrangement. ^{(ARWIDSSON 1984 p.21)}

^{(ARWIDSSON 1984 p.16-19)}