Open AccessBorderland-stalkers and Stalking-horses Horse Sacrifice as Liminal Activity in the Early Iron Age
Author(s) -
Anne Monikander
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
current swedish archaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.256
H-Index - 8
eISSN - 2002-3901
pISSN - 1102-7355
DOI - 10.37718/csa.2006.07
Subject(s) - liminality , creatures , stalking , sacrifice , history , art , psychology , aesthetics , criminology , archaeology , natural (archaeology)
This paper investigates the fact that many Early Iron Age wetland sacrifices were deliberately placed in liminal zones. The sacrifice of horses as well as the manipulation of their heads, hoofs and tails turned them into liminal creatures. In this way they imitated the liminal creature, in particular the Midgard Serpent that bites its tail in the ocean surrounding the world, and the horses also became guards against dangerous powers from outside Midgardr. The attention to tongues can also be seen on the bracteates that may have served as amulets, reminding their users ofthe creatures guarding the borderlands.