Bridle of iron

This bridle is made of iron and consists of a two-part mouth bit that is hinged in the middle, made of heavy double-folded iron. The bridle was found in the mouth of a horse skeleton from grave 497 in a burial ground at Ire in Hellvi on Gotland, which was excavated in 1942. The find shows that the bridle has been used in horse handling and is an example of iron-made equipment from the Vendel period.

The bridle is complete with rings where the straps have been attached and these rings are adorned with three bronze knobs per ring that are set at an equal distance. These 6 bronze knobs are faceted and ornamented with serrated edges and circles. The rings and the ornamentation of the fittings indicate a careful manufacturing method that required craftsmanship with an aesthetic wealth of detail.

The finds from grave 497 are part of a larger collection from the excavation at the burial ground at Ire, where a total of 61 graves have been examined. Of these, the finds from 47 graves have been assigned to Gotlands Fornsal, while the finds from 6 graves are at the Historical Museum in Stockholm. The other 8 graves lack finds or contain only fragments of burnt bones. A detailed report on all graves is available in Gotlands Fornsal's archives, with copies in the Archives Magazine.

Gotlands museum (2023). Betsel. Digitalt museum. Available at: https://digitaltmuseum.se/0210213445810/betsel (Accessed: 9 December 2025). 

Joanna Püss