Lot 555

Viking Age Iron Dagger | Double Raven Pommel

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Viking Age Iron Dagger | Double Raven Pommel

Estimate: $800 - $1,200

Starting Bid: $400

(0 Bids)

by Artemis Fine Arts
June 12, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Eastern Steppes, Southern Europe, ca. 9th - 11th century CE. Eastern Steppes / Southern Europe, Viking Age, ca. 9th–11th century CE. A large and imposing hand-forged iron dagger of exceptional craftsmanship, featuring a long tapered blade and an applied curved hilt guard secured by a rivet at each end. The guard is decorated with incised X-elements and triple linear devices, reflecting the geometric ornamental vocabulary common to Viking Age martial objects of the eastern frontier.

The corset-form hand grip with serrated edges provides both a secure purchase and a visually dynamic profile, terminating in a striking double bird head finial — most likely depicting ravens, eagles, or similar birds of profound symbolic importance in Norse and Steppe warrior traditions. In Norse mythology, ravens were the companions of Odin, the Allfather and god of war, serving as his eyes and ears across the nine worlds. A weapon crowned with paired bird heads would have carried unmistakable associations with Odin's ravens Huginn and Muninn — Thought and Memory — marking its bearer as a warrior under divine patronage. Size: 14.25”L (36.2cm).

Provenance: Emily & Walter Mead Collection, Santa Fe, NM., active 1960’s - 1990’s. (Mead Paper Corporation family).

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Item # 71454

  • Condition: Overall black-brown surface patina. Intact.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $749 $25
$750 $1,499 $50
$1,500 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $7,499 $250
$7,500 $14,999 $500
$15,000 + $1,000