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Denmark's National Museum has unveiled what it described arsenic the archetypal "portrait" of a Viking: a miniature 10th-century figurine depicting a antheral with an imperial moustache, braided beard and neatly-groomed hairstyle.
Carved retired of ivory walrus tusk, the partially damaged practice of a caput and torso measures conscionable 1.2 inches).
"If you deliberation of Vikings arsenic savage oregon wild, this fig is proving the opposite, actually. He is precise well-groomed," curator Peter Pentz told AFP Wednesday, holding up the portion with white-gloved hands.
Denmark's nationalist depository curator Peter Pentz shows a gaming portion believed to beryllium the archetypal "portrait" of a Viking, connected August 26, 2025 successful Copenhagen.
CAMILLE BAS-WOHLERT / AFP via Getty Images
"He has a halfway parting up to the apical of his head, and past successful the cervix his hairsbreadth is cut," Pentz said.
He has a broadside question that leaves the receptor disposable and, successful summation to a ample moustache and long, braided goatee, helium has sideburns.
During the Viking era, beauteous hairsbreadth was a motion of wealthiness and status, Pentz explained.
"A hairsbreadth plan similar his, which is precise neat -- you tin spot a small curl oregon tuft of hairsbreadth moving implicit the ears -- (suggests) this feline is astatine the top."
"He could beryllium the king himself, King Harald Bluetooth."
The artwork, which is believed to beryllium an past committee crippled portion representing a king, was primitively recovered successful the Oslo fjord successful Norway successful 1796.
It's been tucked distant and forgotten successful the archives of Denmark's National Museum ever since.
When Pentz stumbled connected the figurine successful the museum's ample collections a fewer years ago, helium said it felt similar the Viking was looking close astatine him.
Its elaborate carvings opposition with different existing depictions of Vikings -- connected things similar coins -- that diagnostic small oregon nary idiosyncratic details oregon facial expressions.
Viking Age creation is known for its diagnostic carnal motifs but seldom portrays humans.
"This is the archetypal happening that comes adjacent to a representation from the Viking play that I've seen," Pentz said.
"The astir astonishing happening for maine is his expression. Most Viking renderings of quality figures are rather simple, and they are not truly human-like," helium said.
But this 1 is unsocial with its attraction to detail.
"He looks devilish, immoderate radical say. But I deliberation helium looks much similar he's conscionable been telling a gag oregon thing similar that. He's smiling."
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