VIKING WARRIOR’S RITUALLY BROKEN HORSESHOE

Metal had spiritual significance to Vikings. Breaking or otherwise incapacitating metal objects was part of the funerary process for warriors. Swords and spears were bent to render them useless. Axes were broken. This is a partial Viking horseshoe broken as part of a warrior’s funeral. It dates about 10th-11th century and is of 3/3 nail type as was used in the period. It is forged iron, just under 5” length with three holes to accommodate “fiddle key” nails which rose from the face of the shoe and comprised the contact surface on which the horse walked.