Circular collar from Peterfitz
Further images
- found: Peterfitz/ Kolberg-Körlin (Piotrowice/ pow. Kołobrzeski),
gold, 500-600;
diameter: 20 cm
Fashioned form pure gold, this collar is among the largest and most handsome of its kind. A goldsmith used 1.8 kg of the precious metal to manufacture the piece, which he probably obtained from over 400 Roman coins.
The magnificent decoration ends in a bird's head on the right and in the bill of a duck on the left. The bird may represent an eagle – the symbolic animal attributed to the Nordic god Odin. An owner of the collar will have sought to acquire Odin's characteristics, namely strength and valour.
It is not known whether the golden piece ever circled a person's neck. Most of the 71 similar rings discovered elsewhere were placed in the ground, the moors or the seas of northern Europe as offerings to the gods. The collar from Peterfitz may have been used likewise. It might also have been a cult object or have been intended to adorn its owner in the afterlife, assuring a welcome in Valhalla befitting the person's social status.
Text: B. P.
