http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3452
Beautifully cast fragments from a http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=4494 sword have been discovered on the Isle of Man by two members of the Manx Detectorists Society.
Dan Crowe and Rob Farrer discovered the artefacts whilst metal detecting in the north west of the island.
Both Dan and Rob are experienced metal detector users and have found many interesting http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=1165 over the years, so they knew the importance of what they had found and reported it.
“This is only the 13th recorded Viking sword from the island,” said Curator for Archaeology Allison Fox.
“Even though they had done exactly the right thing by not cleaning the surface dirt from the finds, when they brought them into the Manx Museum it was clear straight away that we had something very special indeed.”
The most decorative part of a Viking sword was usually the handle, or hilt, and it is part of this that has survived over one thousand years in the soil.Rather like a set of knuckles, the pommel (the top part of the sword) design is divided into 5 parts, or lobes, each with intricately carved designs. In between the lobes are sets of finely twisted silver wires – a technique seen a few times on artefacts from the Isle.
http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/nwh_gfx_en/ART57124.html
From a reader: Given their image of mayhem, it may be surprising to some to find that the Vikings had a strong democratic and peaceful streak. Their main impact on the world was in trade and discovery, not plunder and pillage. They founded all the main ports in Eire as trading centers, for example, while their voyages of discovery are stuff of legend. These hardy folk preferred a form of democratic government, and on the Isle of Man established the Tynwald, the longest continuous democratic government body in the world. The institution was popular with the Gaelic root population, and continues on to this day, although with its power greatly cut back.