Viking Turtle Brooch

Viking turtle brooch from Norway.

This beautiful Viking jewellery is based on a historical model from Norway. Very similar bowl brooches are also known from finds from Oldenburg and Bornholm.

The Viking turtle brooch, also known as a tortoise brooch or oval brooch, was widespread in the Viking Age throughout Scandinavia and in the settlement areas of the Vikings in England and Russia.

Our Viking turtle brooch has a stable pin on the back for fixing to the garment and is available in high-quality bronze casting or in real silver-plated.

The turtle brooch measures 6.3 x 3 x 1.1 cm.

The price is for on brooch, for a pair, please order two pieces.

Turtle brooches were a traditional part of women's clothing in the Viking Age and were always worn in pairs. Below the shoulder and above the breast, the turtle brooches were used to attach the apron to the women's garment on both sides, so it is advisable to order two of them. The indicated price is for one piece.

From 800 to 1000 A.D. the turtle brooch was used as jewellery for Viking women's clothing and is often found in Viking era women's graves. The respective design and execution provided information about the social status of the wearer.

The turtle brooch is the most common type of brooch in the Viking Age and can be found in finds from Ireland to the Volga. Apart from inexpensive mass-produced goods and simple copies, there were also extremely filigree, gold-plated silver bowl brooches of the highest quality.

But whether inexpensive or precious: the Viking turtle brooch always was used in pairs to fasten the shoulder straps of the upper garment.
In addition, one or more chains were often hung one above the other between the turtle brooches and sometimes additionally attached to a round disc brooch or trefoil brooch in the middle of the chest.

A detailed treatise on the bowl brooch can be found by Jan Petersen in the publication "Vikingetide smykker" from 1928.