Hoard from Nyhave forest

In 2005 a forest worker found 19 flint axes, two stone axes and a flint chisel, c. 2500 BC, in the Nyhave Forest in Southern Funen. The hoard is now at Møntergården in Odense. Photo: Jens Gregers Aagaard.

Intro

In 2006, a forestry worker found 19 flint axes, two stone axes and a flint chisel in a little bog in southern Funen – doubtless gifts to the gods.

At the bidding of the gods Faith and rituals have shaped life on Funen since antiquity. In the hope of gaining the gods’ favour, Funen’s inhabitants dispatched grave goods to the kingdom of the dead, constructed churches and wore both Thor’s hammers and Christian crosses. Water – gateway to the kingdom of the gods? Did the prehistoric gods live beneath the water – deep in the muddy depths? Or was water merely the gateway to their kingdom? These two questions about our ancestors’ faith will never be resolved, but we do know that bogs, lakes and watercourses were used for offerings and sacrifices – of everything from pots, weapons and tools to animals and people.

This location is part of the exhibition 'Funen – at the centre of the universe', at Møntergården in Odense. Read more about the exhibition on our website.