Around 1300 years ago, high-ranking warriors in Scandinavia were given a particularly soft bed for their last journey: They were given down duvets in their graves, as evidenced by the Iron Age ship graves near Uppsala in Sweden. However, these grave beds were not filled with duck down, but with a surprisingly diverse mixture of down feathers from very different bird species, as current analyzes reveal.
The burial ground of Valsgärde near the Swedish city of Uppsala is known for its spectacular ship graves. In the period from 570 to 1030 AD, high-ranking warriors were buried here in boats, all of which had their prows facing the nearby river – ready for the long journey into the afterlife. “The warriors wore ornate helmets and weapons, some were covered with metal sheets adorned with birds of prey motifs,” report Brigitta Berglund and Jørgen Rosvold from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim.
Bedded on feather pillows
The two scientists have now taken a closer look at two of these ship graves. The two ships, around ten meters long, date from the period between 600 and 700 and each house the grave of an Iron Age warrior. In addition to their weapons and shields, these men were equipped with food and tools for hunting and cooking for their final journey. Horses and other animals were also given to the warriors in their graves. “The dead warriors were well equipped to row into the underworld and then go ashore on horseback,” explains Berglund.
A special feature of the ship graves from Valsgärde, however, is the bed on which the dead were laid: “The warriors rested on pillows and cushions filled with feathers. Down duvets have been known in the Mediterranean since Roman times and were used by the elite. In Northern Europe, however, these grave beds are the oldest known evidence of down beds, as the researchers report. To find out which bird these feathers came from, they examined samples of the grave beds from both ship graves for the first time. “I’m surprised at how well these feathers were preserved, even though they had been buried underground for more than 1,000 years,” says Rosvold.
Surprising variety of feathers
The spring analyzes showed surprising things because, contrary to expectations, the down filling of the grave beds was not eiderdown. In some coastal communities in northern Sweden, these were already systematically obtained from ducks bred and kept in special duck houses. Historical records testify to this: “Ohthere, the northern Norwegian leader and seafarer, informed King Alfred of England around 890 that the Sami had paid him their taxes in the form of feathers,” the scientists report. This suggests that feathers had served as a commodity some time before.
Surprisingly, however, no duck down was used for the warriors’ final rest in the ship’s graves, as befitted their rank. “It turned out that the grave beds in Valsgärde contained a lot of different types of feathers,” Berglund reports. In addition to down and feathers from various ducks such as eiders, mallards and wigeons as well as gray geese, there were also feathers from capercaillie and black grouse, as well as from water birds, crows and even owls. From some of these feathers only the softer tips had been used, the hard lower part of the keel had been cut out.
(Video: Norwegian SciTech News)
Birds with symbolic meaning
According to the scientists, this variety of feathers is interesting in several respects. On the one hand, it gives new insights into the relationship between the people of that time and the regional bird life. On the other hand, the feathers also allow conclusions to be drawn about the beliefs and mythical ideas of this time. “The choice of springs for the grave beds could have a deeper, symbolic meaning,” explains Berglund. “In some Scandinavian regions, for example, it was believed that goose feathers are the best way to help the soul leave the body.” Ravens, on the other hand, had a special meaning as winged messengers of the god Odin.
Also interesting: In one of the two ship graves, the grave bed was filled with feathers, which according to tradition make the transition to the realm of the dead more difficult than easier, but not in the other. “If false feathers were put in the pillows and upholstery, for example from domesticated poultry, crows, pigeons, magpies, owls and other birds of prey, this should prolong the agony,” explain Berglund and Rosvold. “Does this mean that the people in Valsgärde 8 wanted to make the transition into the afterlife easier for the dead, while this was not considered so important in Valsgärde 7?” The scientists do not yet know the answer to this question. But further investigations of Iron Age graves could possibly bring more information in the future.
Source: Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Technical article: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, doi: 10.1016 / j.jasrep.2021.102828