Viking weathervane from Söderala

The Söderala weathervane (Sweden) is a "Viking" weathervane dated to around 1050.

It is a piece of riveted, openwork bronze reinforced with other bronze pieces. It depicts a large Norse dragon holding a smaller one in its forelegs, the whole surmounted by a third animal in the round.

This particular piece was never "lost". After being used as a weathervane on a large Viking ship of the longship type, it remained attached to a church bell tower until the 18th century before being sold to the Swedish History Museum.

Over its history, repairs were added to strengthen the damaged piece. These repairs have not been taken into account in this reproduction, which shows the piece in its original state.

This piece respects the original dimensions, i.e. 40 cm wide.