Posted on 05/17/2026 6:02:08 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
The Viking Herald reports that two rare English "Lamb of God" coins were recently unearthed in Jutland. During the eleventh century, English monarchs undertook various initiatives to try to ward off seemingly unending Viking attacks. Around 1009, King Æthelred the Unready even minted unusual coins in the hope of obtaining divine protection. The objects feature a lamb and a cross on one side -- a Christian motif alluding to Christ's sacrifice -- and a dove on the other, a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Not only did these coins fail in their objective, they became somewhat coveted by Viking raiders, who collected them and occasionally took them back to Scandinavia. Around two dozen have been found across the region. Most were pierced with holes, suggesting that the Vikings actually wore them around their necks as pendants. "It gave me goose bumps, because these coins are extremely rare, and they convey a special and also paradoxical part of history," said Gitte Tarnow Ingvardson, curator at the National Museum of Denmark. "They were made to obtain protection against the Vikings but ended up instead as jewelry or amulets worn by Vikings. That is almost tragicomical." To read about artifacts found in medieval burials in central Norway, go to "Viking Mollusk Mask."
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeology.org ...
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
Images of a lamb and cross decorate this coin, which was found in Jutland, Denmark.Søren Greve/National Museum of Denmark
The weekly digest list of topics is somewhere down below.
In Anglo-Saxon (Old English), “aethel” (properly spelled æthel or æþel) means “noble.”
Æthelred (or Aethelred) — “noble counsel” (from ræd = counsel/advice).
Æthelflæd (Lady of the Mercians) — “noble beauty” (from flæd = beauty).
Æthelstan — “noble stone” (from stān = stone).
Æthelwulf — “noble wolf.”
Ætheling (æþeling) — a prince or member of the royal/noble family (”one belonging to the noble line”).
Blood Money....................
Pretty cool... The Vikings were a fascinating bunch.
If you’re European in any way, shape or form you likely have Viking genes because they pretty much raided. raped and pillaged everywhere within Europe.
Yeah, the ‘unready’ thing has bugged me for a long time.
Are these the Vikings now known as Lutherans?
The other GGG topics added since the previous digest ping, alpha:
Not only did these coins fail in their objective, they became somewhat coveted by Viking raiders, who collected them and occasionally took them back to Scandinavia.
Fail? See, they... took them away.
How many sins went along with these coins? Coveting, theft..
The holds and slots show the Vikings wore them as pendants, probably for the Middle Ages singles scene.
Looks more like a camel...
“Unready” is a mistranslation of “Unræd,” “no counsel” or “badly counseled,” unheeding, rash.
It’s why I always refer to a certain “Hawaiian” as Æthelblack the Unready...
Yup, Scandinavia of course, northern Germany, coast of France (Normandy in particular), probably a little in Sicily, but show up strongs in the British Isles (all of ‘em).
Just like adel in Germany
When my daughter was in school every form that came home with a question about ethnicity got marked with an X by the Other box and in the blank space I would write Viking. lol
Not really tragic.
In old times, money were just a piece of silver or gold with stamp of somebody to certify the weight.
So they were freely circulated around the world.
Some exception was e.g. the Temple of Jerusalem, where only certain coins were accepted. So the moneychangers at the Temple, whom Jesus did not like.
Their new album...huh? What? Numismatist Vikings!
Never mind.
That’s what I’m wondering too.
Oh, I don't know about that. I mean, how many Vikings have you seen roaming around Europe terrorizing folks lately? Sure, it might have taken longer than they had hoped, but still...
Hoping to mollify invaders with monetary handouts? Sounds familiar . . .
Æthelene = noble gasoline ⛽️ 🙂
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.