Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – Hidden in a crypt of a ruined church in Poland, for many years, the golden Curmsun Disc did not see the modern world until recently.
The Curmsun Disc is a remarkable Norse artifact with an intriguing inscription that tells an interesting story about the Jomsvikings and legendary King Harald Bluetooth. Jomsvikings were elite warriors who trained at Jomsborg.
In 1841, on the east bank of the river Dziwna, some kilometers east of Wolin in north-western Poland, the ruins of the medieval chapel were demolished. During the foundations of a new building, possibly a new church, a medieval cellar crypt was unearthed, and many objects were found. One of these objects was the Curmsun Disc. It was part of a Viking hoard.
This particular Viking hoard is fascinating because it was found near the semi-legendary Viking Jomsborg’s fortress between the 960s and 1043.
According to intriguing stories in the Icelandic Sagas, courageous Norse warriors known as Jomsvikings were based at Jomsborg. The mysterious Jomsvikings were no ordinary Viking warriors. They were superheroes of Icelandic Sagas and a legendary mercenary army. They offered their fighting skills and fought for any king who would hire and pay them what they required.
It is not entirely clear how and when the order of the Jomsvikings was created. According to some sources, the brotherhood was established and patronized by the Danish king, Harald Bluetooth, King of Denmark.
The Danes were united and Christianized in about 965 by King Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson (c. 935 to c. 986; King of Denmark c. 958 to c. 986; King of Norway c. 970 to 986).