Torslunda Mask
$19.00
Worldwide Shipping
● Production time 2-5 business days
● Estimated delivery 2-3 weeks
The story & symbolism
Featuring three of the known four Torslunda plates. Dated to around the 6th and 7th century they were rediscovered in 1870 from Öland. The plates were likely used to press metal sheets to be used as helmet decorations , like we see with the Valsgärde, Vendel era and Sutton Hoo helmets. This way the blacksmith could press the plates against thin sheets of metal to replicate the design and mass produce these designs. The depictions on these could be myths and known stories from that age, where a man fought two bears and an army of boar warriors and how Odin is followed by shapeshifters or warriors wearing wolf pelts. We don't know for certain but this drives our attention to how much lore and more there is to these gods and how very little we know nowadays, this design lives as a reminder of that.
Boar warriors
Called the Svinfylking in Old-Norse meaning 'Boar array/formation' these warriors fought in a formation that was referenced to as a boars head with two men in the front forming the boars snout and referenced to as the tusks of the formation. This can also be seen on the plate where two boar warriors are depicted, likely a reference to the formation or perhaps there was a story or myth associated with it as well. The boar warrior along with boar worship is among one of the oldest animal warrior types and not much survives about them - just artifacts we have found and a lot of it is left for speculation and looking at neighbouring tribes for possible references.These boar warriors were also popular already in the Germanic world where they were called the 'Schweinskopf' meaning 'Boars Head' and the formation was associated with them as well. The invention of the formation is associated to Odin, with supposedly the god of war teaching this to the humans.
Odin and a berserker
Berserker is the more common name and is used as an umbrella term for all kinds of animal warriors. But actually the different animal warrior types have their own names, this one here is an Ulfhednar meaning a 'Wolf Head' and the wolf cult was associated with Odin where as the bear cult was associated with Thor and the boar cult with possibly Freyr or Freya although I don't think there is a direct source that suggests the boar warriors were associated with any god except that the formation was invented by Odin. Also the plate has a missing eye on the spear dancer figure which suggest even more that it is the All-Father. And if that doesn't convince you yet - he also has two things coming from his head which appear as horns, they are actually meant to symbolize two birds, Huginn and Munnin. So we can be very sure this is Odin himself with a wolf warrior following him - considering the boar warrior image, this could be a hint that Ulfhedinn fought alone or as a sabotage unit with a smaller number of men.
Man between two bears
This is the most mysterious one. There are no stories of a man fighting two bears that I can recall but if we were to follow the previous plates - it could also be a plate associated with the Berserkers. If the first plate of the boar warriors is a reference to the two men in the front of the boar formation become the animal warrior called Svinfylking. And the second plate showing a man becoming a Ulfhedinn by following the path of Odin or being guided by Odin. Then perhaps this plate shows how to become a Berserker? This is my own speculation and as far as I'm concerned there is no evidence to what this plate means, but seeing as all of these plates are associated with a person or people and an animal then I'm making that guess.
The fourth plate
This one is not depicted on the design. But here we see a man taming what seems to be some gryphon-like beast. Now as associated above - perhaps these are mentions of how to become a certain warrior type? Fighting bears makes you a Berserker, you also get the pelt by slaying one. Following Odin and learning from him makes you a Ulfhedinn. Fighting in a war in the frontlines makes you a Svinfylking. And taming this beast makes you another certain type of warrior. Perhaps this is some unreachable goal or a joke to some certain tribe, maybe it's a myth that we have lost or not found yet. To me it seems all these plates depict some sort of ceremony or an occupation.
From social media
Torslunda Mask
$19.00
Worldwide Shipping
● Production time 2-5 business days
● Estimated delivery 2-3 weeks
Size Chart
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Upperbody
Lowebody
Where to measure on upper- and lowerbody. W stands for width or waist and H for height, check below for a more detailed guide on how to measure
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How to measure
Items are measured by being laid flat on the ground, not by circumference. If you have any items that fit you well, lay them on the ground and measure them to get the best fit
Here's a small video I made for the sweatshirt, pants, hoodies - the same applies for all the other apparel items as well
Here's a small video I made for the sweatshirt, pants, hoodies - the same applies for all the other apparel items as well
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