Viking Device
.jpg)
The backing of this find appears very weathered, and probably rode the long boat decks of many a hearty adventurer.
​
The multifaceted cylinders have a different colored glass orb on each side, what appear to be marks of measurement, and what have been proven to be Viking Runes still decipherable today.
​
Also you should take note of the engraving at the bottom far right of the copper sheet. More on this later.
The mechanism for operating this device is simple and elegant, with rawhide grips and braided sinew string.
The glass lenses are of fairly high quality, and since glassmaking was not as important as sword making to a Viking, these may have come from another land.
​
The rods that pass beneath the lenses are also marked with what appear to be Roman numerals. There's just a ton of information going on here!
Here we see a couple important clues. Firstly is the dragon head engraved in the top right corner probably signifying the clan or family the device was made for. The engraving around the sides of the copper sheet are without doubt of Viking origin as well.
​
Secondly, the bottom right contains a large ruby in the center of what has been agreed upon to be none other than a map compass.
​
Now here is the really interesting part, I mean really really interesting. The Runes carved into the copper beside the ruby compass, translate into "North Sky" (Seen more clearly in the image above.) This, and the fact that the copper sheet actually slides off the device, certainly suggests there was a collection of these sheets for several different orientations to the Poles.