9th-11th century AD. A silver implement in the form of a small elongated spoon with deep dish, large plate handle in the form of two Jellinge entwined beasts with open curled mouths and sinuous double banded bodies; with lozenge-shaped suspension loop to the apex. Cf. Arbman, H., Birka I: Die Gräber, Uppsala, 1940, pl.173, item 1; for the example found at Birka see the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm, accession number 34000; also cf. Sedov, B.B., Finno-Ugri i Balti v Epokhi Srednevekovija, Moscow, 1987, pl.XVII (13, 14), for the type.10.6 grams, 71mm (2 3/4"). From a central London collection; previously in a European collection formed 1979-1989. Commonly described as ear scoops, the high workmanship and sometimes expensive material, such as the silver-gilt example found at Birka, as well as the subject matter of the images on them, would suggest that they were used as spoons for dispensing medicines or psychotropic substances, or associated with the preparation of mead. This would tie in with the representation on the spoons of the Valkyrie holding a drinking horn of mead, an object that she traditionally welcomed a slain warrior with as they arrived at Valhalla. The meaning of their name, 'choosers of the slain,' refers not only to their choosing who gains admittance to Valhalla, but also to their choosing who dies in battle and using malicious magic to ensure that their preferences in this regard are brought to fruition. Examples of Valkyries deciding who lives and who dies abound in the Eddas and sagas. The Valkyries’ gruesome side is illustrated most vividly in the Darraðarljóð, a poem contained within Njal’s Saga. Here, twelve Valkyries are seen prior to the Battle of Clontarf, sitting at a loom and weaving the tragic destiny of the warriors (an activity highly reminiscent of the Norns"). They use intestines for their thread, severed heads for weights, and swords and arrows for beaters, all the while chanting their intentions with ominous delight. [No Reserve]