Bow brooch from Nordendorf I

The bow brooch from Nordendorf I as a detailed replica.

Here you can buy an authentic replica of the so-called bow brooch from Nordendorf I, a Germanic brooch from the 6th century with a runic inscription.

In addition to many other artefacts, two silver bow brooches were found in the Bavarian cemetery of Nordendorf, which are considered to be important runic testimonies of the Middle Germanic runic series and are referred to as the bow brooches of Nordendorf I and II.

The original brooch from Nordendorf I was found in an Alemannic or Frankish woman's grave and is now in the Roman Museum in Augsburg. The fibula dates to the middle or last third of the 6th century.

The brooch from Nordendorf I was made of fire-gilt silver and was 12.85 cm long. As is typical of the broad-headed brooches of the 6th century, it has a rectangular head plate and a bow, as well as a semi-circular foot end in which a human mask is visible. Protruding animal heads are attached to both sides of the fibula.

Link to the original Nordendorf brooch...

At 12.95 x 7 cm, our replica almost corresponds to the dimensions of the historical original.

Due to its size, the brooch is suitable for fastening a heavy woollen coat, with the pin typically pointing upwards in accordance with the historical wearing style.

You can buy this Viking pendant in high-quality bronze or real silver-plated.
Also available in gold-plated 925 sterling silver (Please note the delivery time).
Alloy...

The Nordendorf I brooch bears a two-line runic inscription on the back of the rectangular head plate with the words "logažore wošan wigižonar / awa leubwini" runic inscription: ᛚᛟᚷᚨᚦᛟᚱᛖ ᚹᛟᛞᚨᚾ ᚹᛁᚷᛁᚦᛟᚾᚨᚱ / ᚨᚹᚨ ᛚᛖᚢᛒᚹᛁᚾᛁ

The words wodan and wigižonar are the names of the gods Wodan and Consecration-Donar, the Norse god of war and thunder respectively. Next to them is a third god - logažore, who is addressed as Lošurr or Loki. This is one of the earliest known mentions of the Germanic deities Wodan and Donar.

The threefold naming of gods, the so-called triad, occurs quite frequently in Germanic paganism as well as in other cultures, but there is also a controversial interpretation that sees logažore as "cunning" or "sorcerer" in a Christian context.

The second rune line of the brooch is the female name Awa and the male name Leubwini, possibly the names of the former owner and the runic scribe. However, it may also have been a gift from Leubwini to his wife Awa.

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Brooch I from Nordendorf was discovered in 1843 during railway construction near Augsburg in Bavaria in a large terraced cemetery that had only been very slightly robbed, which meant that many rich grave goods had been preserved. Due to the high material value, the silver-gilt brooch was probably worn by a wealthy person who probably also had an elevated social position within society.

The Nordendorf burial ground was located directly on the Via Claudia, the most important road link to Italy in antiquity, which was still used in the early Middle Ages and also played a decisive military role in the Merovingian period.

Unfortunately, as is typical of the period, only a few grave contexts were recorded during the excavation, which also affected the two bow brooches Nordendorf I and Nordendorf II, of which little more than the origin from women's graves is documented.

The shape of the Nordendorf I fibula is influenced by Nordic models and corresponds to those fibulae that were widespread in Scandinavia in the mid-6th century. However, it belongs to the Chividale fibula type and dates to the middle or last third of the 6th century. The fibula probably originates from the province of Pannonia and may have come to Nordendorf in Bavaria with the migrating Lombards.