Figureheads and Symbolism Between the Medieval and the Modern: The ship Griffin or Gribshunden, one of the last Sea Serpents?

Abstract

The Griffin or, as it was sometimes called, Gribshunden (griffin hound) was a ship that belonged to the Danish-Norwegian King Hans. The ship sank in 1495 and was one of the largest and most modern warships of its day. In 2015 a peculiar figurehead carving was raised from the wreck. It is shaped like a beast swallowing a man screaming in agony. The question is, what this sculpture is meant to symbolize? This article aims to shed light on the enquiry through placing the sculpture in a wider chronological context. Against the background of a general overview, from the dragon heads of the late Iron Age to early modern figureheads, it is argued that the sculpture raised from the Griffin was carved in a period when figureheads did not relate to the ship's name or owner, but that the monstrous head is an expression of the spirit or character of the vessel.

Managing Data from Maritime Archaeology Investigations: AIR at Gribshunden

“…The first archaeological inspection occurred in 2000, followed by subsequent annual campaigns through 2006 by a collection of wooden elements for dendrochronology, recovery of nine artillery carriages, and a test excavation. Between 2013 and 2018, a handful of minor investigations documented the wreck site, with the only intrusive action consisting of the recovery of the figurehead timber in 2015 (Eriksson 2020; Adams & Rönnby 2022).…”

Delivering the Deep: Maritime archaeology for the 21st century: selected papers from IKUWA 7

“…However, maritime archaeology could be criticised for its practitioners' narrow focus on technical aspects of shipbuilding. Compared to land archaeology, underwater archaeology in Scandinavia has relied on a narrative historical approach seldom grounded in a specific theoretical frame (Cederlund 1995;Eriksson 2020). Only recently have maritime archaeological studies expanded beyond descriptive particulars of ship construction.…”