Jelling Cup, Silver

Jelling Cup, Silver 

Our reproduction in the same size and weight of the orginal is a very detailled and authentic work also for higher expectations.
In the past some of our replicas were copied abroad and sold for cheaper prices in a worse quality. To make our work recognizeable, we decided to change a minor part of the cup in an artistic way. Decorations made by Thoke Fischer.
Weight approx. 130g, height 4,4 cm, capacity approx. 35 ml, handcrafted of massive 925 silver, with blackened decorations and gilded inside.

The Cup of Jelling

In the 10th century, King Gorm reigned the empire of the danish vikings. The capital of his territory was Jelling in Denmark, where was burried in pagan manners after his death in 958 AD in a large mound. Two of these mounds of an impressive size still dominate the archeological site of Jelling.
The northern mound was opened in the 19th century by untrained workers, later supported by archaeological experts. The excavators discovered a wooden burial chamber, built for 2 persons, probably king Gorm and his wife Thyra. It was obvious that the chamber had been robbed in ancient times, there where only a few grave goods left, and no traces of the bodies were found. The most impressive find was a small cup of massive silver, decorated in animal style (Jelling Style).

The first excavators had the opinion that the grave robbers had been failed to see the small beaker, which was probably the personal property of king Gorm. In the meantime another sight is widely accepted. The famous Jelling rune stone beside the mound was errected by Gorm´s son and successor Harald Bluetooth. It´s inscription reads: "King Haraldr ordered this monument made in memory of Gormr, his father, and in memory of Thyrvé, his mother; that Haraldr who won for himself all of Denmark and Norway and made the Danes Christian."
The christening of Harald Bluetooth leads to a change in the religious views of his people. Maybe Harald wanted to be safe that his father and mother also would be welcomed in the christian heaven. This would explain why the mound had been opened and the bodies had been removed and probably buried in the nearby church of Jelling. During the christian ceremonies, the small cup with the grape decorations could have been used as a personal chalice for the holy communion.

Informations of the National Museum Copenhagen for the Jelling Cup:
http://jelling.natmus.dk/om-jelling/jellingbaegeret/