16 



longitudinal grooves, as in Nos. 2357 and 2358 in this collection. The 

 handles of the iron swords in the Academy's collection are all massive, 

 and appear to have been so weighted as to balance the blade, and render 

 its blow more effective. Some of them are beautifully decorated with 

 silver, inlaid into the iron hilts and pommels. The handle portion in- 

 cluded within the space of these two guards was generally occupied 

 with wood, bone, or sea horse tooth, &c. ; but, owing to the curiosity or 

 the cupidity of the tinders, they rarely find their way into the collection in 

 this condition. Fortunately, however, in No. 2358 a portion of the bone 

 handle remains, and a fragment of the wood in Wo. 2360. The beautifully 

 decorated metal handle here figured, one-half its natural size, is the 

 first of its kind that has been discovered, and is formed of iron, bronze, 

 silver, and findruin, or white me- 

 tal, now so intimately incorporated 

 that the lines of junction cannot 

 be discovered. The entire length 

 of this article in its present con- 

 dition is 5J inches, and there is 

 a portion of the blade still re- 

 maining, but the hilt or guard is 

 wanting. The hilt is iron, beau- 

 tifully wrought, and inlaid with 

 white metal, and the handle por- 

 tion of bronze, inlaid with white 

 metal or silver chevrons, termi- 

 nating in small circles, as shown 

 in the illustration. The side edges 

 are also decorated. Nothing like 

 this has heretofore been published. 



Six spear heads, of the ordinary 

 class — long, thin, and narrow, 

 4 to 20 inches in length, by 2 

 inches broad in the widest por- 

 tion, and having a socket about 5 

 inches deep. There is also a great 

 number of these weapons in the No. 2361. 



general Scandinavian Collection 



of the Academy. They may have been used either in war or for the 

 chase. 



Four umbos, or shield bosses, of thin plate iron, with holes in some 

 instances for holding the rivets that attached them to the bucklers : some 

 are globular, and others conical. They average 3-J inches across, and 

 2 1 high. 



Connected with the weapons and armour discovered at Island bridge 

 was a white metal figure of a dog, evidently a helmet crest, and which 

 is here represented, the full oize. It holds in its mouth something like a 

 cross bow, and stands on plates for attaching it to the metallic por- 



