Hair braid

Hair braid, about 35 centimeters long. The braid was covered with a layer of burnt remains and lay in the bottom of the pail which served as the sepulchral urn. It is very unusual to find preserved hair from Viking Age people. The closed, low-oxygen, dry environment helped to preserve it. The aim of the ritual and depositing the braid can best be explained as the wish for eternal life and fertility. We do not know who the braid belonged to but the hair was cut from one of those people whose remains was found in the burial mound. Grave find, Skopintull, Adelsö Parish, Uppland.

Image rights: Jens Mohr, Historiska museet/SHM (CC BY 4.0)

Object number: 106900_HST

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