1906] The erueiform brooches of Norway. 31 
construction of the eruciform brooches in Norway and Sweden; the 
short spring-coil, nearly always made of iron, is constantly pre- 
served,*') but being no more visible and taking no part in the develop- 
ment of the form, it will not be especially mentioned in the fol- 
lowing description. The development being now purely ornamental, 
it presents at the first glance a lot of irregular variations of all the 
parts of the brooches, from whieh it should seem impossible to make 
out å general direction of the changes. Asit would be inconvenient 
too, for this purpose to count here all the varieties found in the 
Eastern parts of the Peninsula, I have tried to find a classification 
giving å general view of the varieties most commonly used in the 
district. As the basis for this classification I have chosen the 
1oot of the brooches, this part of them showing differences better 
marked out than either the bow or the upper part of them. Itis 
very natural that it should be so; the cross-like upper part having 
already from the prototype a characteristic form to which very little 
could be added, ånd the bow by its practical destination being 
nearly excluded from further ornamental changes, the imagination of 
the workman had to work chiefly upon the foot, originally plain 
and narrow, as å space especially reserved for decoration. I have 
tried, therefore, from å survey of the variations of the foot to esta- 
blish å number of different series, for the most part contemporary 
with each other. As mentioned, I do not treat the form of the animal- 
head from an ornamental point of view; it will be studied only, 
as an element taking part in the form, as far as regards the ditfe- 
rences which it produced in the building of the foot. One more 
1) Upon this point, as commonly respecting the cruciform brooches, dr. 
HILDEBRAND has the best observations. Å pronouncement of dr. EkHorr that the 
late eruciform brooches have no spring-coil and no axis (in ,Bohuslens och 
Göteborgs fornminnen 'och historia," vol. V, p. 3859) must be referred to some 
rare specimens and ought not to be regarded as a rule. Professor GUSTAFSON 
has accidentally expressed a similar opinion (Ab. 1894, p. 172, no. 67 b) probably 
induced by the authority of dr. EkHorr. I have observed very few cruciform 
brooches having no spring-coil, though it is sometimes difficult to make it out, 
this part being commonly of iron and consequently worse corroded and damazsed 
than the rest of the brooch. The brooches which have really no spring-coil, 
generally belong to the earlier forms, where this peculiarity must be regarded as 
an imitation of Roman forms. Of younger specimens may be noted a brooch 
from Sweden, illustrated in Månadsblad, 1898—99, p. 146, and another from 
Jutland (Copenhagen Museum, 25502), where the double hinge indicates that 
there has been no spring-coil. 
