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This Viking Age figurine depicts… a man with a shrewd expression.
What is it?
This Viking Age figurine, which is just c.40mm tall, depicts the head and torso of a man with a shrewd expression and a distinctive hairstyle featuring a middle parting, a side-wave above the ear, and short hair at the back of the head. He sports a large moustache, sideburns, and a long, braided goatee. The object is made of walrus ivory and would once have been highly polished, although it is now in quite poor condition. The figurine has been dated to the late 10th century AD, during the reign of Harald Bluetooth, and is believed to be a gaming piece used in the board game hnefatafl, which was popular between the 8th and 11th centuries.
Where was it found, and when?
The find originates from a burial mound at Flygstad in southern Norway. It had been placed inside a steatite bowl alongside several spherical bone objects and a bone die: items believed to be part of a Viking Age gaming set. Other discoveries from the mound include a spearhead, a sword fragment, and a spur, indicating that this was probably the site of an equestrian male burial dating to c.950-1025. The Flygstad mound was excavated in 1796 and the figurine was donated to the National Museum of Denmark in the early 19th century. However, it sat in the collections, largely overlooked, until 2025, when curator Peter Pentz rediscovered it.
Why does it matter?
The Viking Age is known for artefacts bearing decorative animal motifs, but images of humans are by contrast very rare, making this figurine a remarkable discovery. ‘It’s exceptional that we have such a vivid depiction of a Viking, let alone a three-dimensional one,’ says Dr Pentz. ‘This is a miniature bust and as close as we will ever get to a portrait of a Viking.’ The discovery is particularly exciting because the figure is not simply an anonymous, symbolic depiction, but an individual with character and expression. The object also provides unprecedented details about hairstyles and grooming in this period.
The Flygstad figurine is significant, too, as a new addition to a small group of similar figurines depicted holding or stroking their long beards. Although the damage to this example means the hands are no longer visible, researchers are confident that it is part of the same phenomenon. These objects have been the subject of much scholarly interest and are widely agreed to be gaming pieces used in hnefatafl – specifically, the most important piece: the king. Such figurines are believed to have had symbolic significance as well, with the beard-stroking motif suggested to have been associated with masculinity, kingship, and fertility in the Norse world.
FIND OUT MORE: The recent research into the figurine has been published in Medieval Archaeology (https://doi.org/10.1080/00766097.2025.2518811).
Text: Amy Brunskill / Photo: Roberto Fortuna, National Museum of Denmark
