Papeyjardýrið

Abstract

The core of this paper is a first presentation of a somewhat enigmatic object, found in 1967, on the small island of Papey off the southeast coast of Iceland. The object came to light during an excavation (yet unpublished) of what proved to be a 10 th century farm site, a fact well established by the nature of the buildings and the objects found, inclusive the one dealt with here, as well as C-14 tests.

The object is neatly cut from reddish tuff, abundantly available in the mountains on the mainland nearest to the island. It is regularly oval, convex on one side and slightly concave on the other, 8.5 cm long, 2.8 cm wide in the middle, and 1.2 cm thick where it is thickest. Near both ends there are neatly drilled holes, connected by a row of drilled dots running along the top of the object. 

Similar dots also run across the object. As a whole the dots on the convex side seem to be deliberately so arranged that they form three crosses, onc big and two small. On the concave side there is a lightly incised picture of an animal, a biped with a curved body, a spiral tail, and a long head-lappet or pigtail, which winds in big slings round the body. The animal is easily recognizable as belonging to the large group of animals on objects decorated in the Jellinge/Mammen style of the 10th century, although it lacks a good many of its well-known features (e. g. the double contour) because of its sketchy character.

The author finds it adequate to characterize the picture as an offhand sketch, and compares it to an improvised ditty, made on the spur of the moment. Neither the carver of a sketch like this, nor the author of such an improvisation, are likely to have
looked upon their work as a serious work of art, but for both it was equally necessary to be well versed in the intricate rules without which they would not have been able to create their respective playful products.

What is the Papey object? Obviously, the immediate answer is a sinker. But the object is far too light and fragile to have been used as such. The best explanation seems to be that the soft coloured material tempted somebody to cut out the object in the form of a sinker, well knowing that it could not be put to practical use. Was the islandman perhaps making a toy for his little son?