Archeologists made a Viking age toy discovery in the form of a stone animal carving found at the Fjordur farm in Iceland, and it is causing quite the stir amongst Viking experts and enthusiasts. The big question is “What kind of animal does the toy represent?” Various parties have suggested a pig, a bear, a dog or something else entirely.
Svín,björn eða hundur. A toy pig,bear or dog by nikunorway on Sketchfab
Toy’s Statistics
The figurine is carved from a yellow-brown volcanic rock called palagonite tuff. It is about one inch in height and two inches in length. It can stand on all fours, but has a small chip in one of its ears. The animal was carved between 940 and 1000 C.E.
Possible Animals
The Norse in Iceland raised pigs. Polar bears have visited the island, and Icelandic sheepdogs were among the Viking company. Horses were also known to the population. The Vikings were known for their extensive travels. It is possible that the figurine represents an animal that the carver saw during one of their voyages.
Children’s Play
Anyone familiar with children’s play may also surmise that the object was made specifically ambiguous to encourage the child’s imagination. Such an undefined animal could be used to represent any of the aforementioned animals giving the child the opportunity to develop their own story around the animal that fit with the child’s imagination at that specific moment in time.
What Animal do you think it is? Let us know in the comments.
About Fjordur Farm
The Fjordur farm is in Seydisfjordur. The site was only scheduled to be excavated over the course of two years, but it has yielded so much from the Viking era that archeologists continue to explore the area. One of the other interesting finds, aside from the Viking age toy discovery is a board game with pieces made from the same kind of volcanic rock.
