FrazEr—On a Great Sepulchral Mound. 49 
handle retained evident traces of having been bound round by some 
description of fine wire, possibly gold, but all remains of the metal 
here were lost. The King of Denmark some years since presented a 
specimen of this description of sword to the Museum of the Royal 
Irish Academy as an example of the Danish type of weapon, and 
they are found occasionally turning up 
in different parts of Ireland; thus others 
of similar shape which are in the Aca- 
demy’s collection were obtained in the 
fields near Kilmainham, and the sword 
which was discovered with the Danish 
interment at Larne, already mentioned, 
was identical in form with that now & 
got at Donnybrook. 
The peculiar interest attaching to 
this weapon is its rich inlaying of gold 
and silver both in hilt and pommel; 
it is unique in so far that no other 
similarly-ornamented sword has up to 
this time ever been found in Ireland, 
and it corresponds with the descriptions 
and drawings of decorated swords in the 
Danish Museum, such as we read of in 
old northern legends as being borne by 
Norse chiefs and commanders of high 
rank and distinction. The beautiful 
pattern of the inlaying will be best 
understood by the illustration on thenext 
' page (Fig.3); its elegance and the mode 
in which the workman executed his task 
speak much for his talent and his taste. 
In an illustrated folio work of Professor 
Worsaae on Danish Antiquities, I find 
a drawing of an ornamental fibula or 
brooch which displays a similar pattern 
in every respect. 
The iron spear-head (Fig. 2) that was h 
found buried together with the sword — fie 
also afforded us a recognised Danish form i il 
of this weapon; we find it figured in I) 
Worsaae’s account of the Antiquities of - 
Denmark, and it likewise corresponds 
in shape with the spear-top found in Fig. 1. Fig. 2. 
the Larne grave. This spear did good work in its master’s hand; 
i still displays, adhering to its rusted surface, fragments of human 
one. 
Subsequent to the discovery of the sword and spear, alady search- 
ing on the spot found three iron arrow-heads, one of which I obtained. 
Scale 
——= 0 = 
| 
| 2 incnes Tol Foot. 
