Ritual Animal Killing and Burial Customs in Viking Age Iceland

• Main Author: Leifsson, Rúnar
• Other Authors: Orri Vésteinsson, Sagnfræði- og heimspekideild (HÍ), Faculty of History and Philosophy (UI), Hugvísindasvið (HÍ), School of Humanities (UI), Háskóli Íslands, University of Iceland
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Iceland, School of Humanities, Faculty of History and Philosophy 2018
• Subjects: Kuml; Viking Age; Burials; Burial Customs; Ritual; Animals; Archaeology; Zooarchaeology; Horses; Víkingaöld; Grafir; Útfararsiðir; Dýr; Fornleifafræði; Hestar; Beinafræði; Doktorsritgerðir; Norway; Iceland
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/1004

In this thesis the ritual killing and burial of animals on grave-fields in Viking Age Iceland is critically re-evaluated, on a site-by-site basis, in order to characterize these customs and place them in a social and historical context. The foundation for this work is the zooarchaeological analysis of all available animal bone from burials excavated before 2012 in Iceland. Horses were very commonly buried on grave-fields in Viking Age Iceland, both with men and women. Dogs, more variable than the modern Icelandic breed, were sometimes interred with humans as well, but apart from single pig bones recorded in a handful of burials, no other animal species have been confirmed in a secure burial context. A comparative study of the ratio of horses in burials in Viking Age Norway, based on prevalence of harnesses, bridles and saddles in late Iron Age burials, revealed that horse burial was at its height of popularity in Norway during the short period of time the custom was practiced in Iceland and equally common. The zooarchaeological analysis of the Icelandic animal remains contextualised with other archaeological data illustrates many aspects of the rituals. They were part of a structured burial tradition reserved for certain groups of people, including both men and women, and as such must have carried a message of identity and status. The killing methods and the arrangement of the carcasses followed set protocols. Most horses were in their prime when killed, but curiously a third of them was young at the time of death and not fully grown. It was customary to bury horses harnessed and bridled, even those too young to have been ridden, and there was a preference for killing males. This indicates that the horses were essentially symbolic representatives of their species and not necessarily killed because of their individuality or because they were favourite animals. Horses were always buried whole, sometimes more than one in a grave and occasionally without human remains. The killing and deposition of dogs was less ...