A Reinterpretation of the ‘Dragon’ Images on the Sutton Hoo Shield as Images of Wolves
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2024
Abstract
The 7th-century Anglo-Saxon ship burial at Sutton Hoo includes a shield with a plaque (London, British Museum, inv. no. 1939,1010.94.B.1) that depicts an animal that researchers usually describe as a winged dragon. However, it does not resemble other early medieval dragon depictions. Comparison with contemporaneous art executed in the same style (Salin’s Style II) indicates that the so-called ‘dragon’ is more likely to have been meant as a wolf. The same shield bore three depictions of animal heads that are identical to that on the plaque in question, which has led to the assumption that they too represent dragon heads. The reinterpretation of the animal on the plaque as a wolf suggests that these three other heads are also stylized wolf heads.
Recommended Citation
Senter, Philip J., "A Reinterpretation of the ‘Dragon’ Images on the Sutton Hoo Shield as Images of Wolves" (2024). College of Health, Science, and Technology. 274.
https://digitalcommons.uncfsu.edu/college_health_science_technology/274