Norse Mythology & Life 3 Old Norse Mytholog
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| Display Styles
Two main forms of heraldic display are compatible with Viking Age culture: the banner and the shield. Many Viking ships seem to have had some sort of prow ornament that was sometimes shaped like a dragon's head; sometimes, however, it looked more a flag or standard. Some of these were made of metal and removable. Many of the Viking coffee-table books refer to them as "weather vanes." They are shaped like a modified quarter-circle. Extant ones seem to be pierced at the curved edge, perhaps for the addition of streamers. T  here are seven extant weather vanes from this period. All some combination of copper, bronze, and/or gilding. They were re-used as ornaments on church spires, which is why they survive. Two are included in From Viking to Crusader; other large format Viking coffee table books usually have one. The one above is the Heggen vane, from Modum, Akershus, Norway. The one below is from Källunge, Gotland, Sweden. All the extant ones are in Ringerike style, which means they date from late tenth through as late as the twelfth century. Sources differ on whether they were flown atop the mast or the prow, with most saying prow. That conclusion matches more of the historical iconographic evidence, but the issue is by no means definitively decided.
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