Historical Notes
The Vikings were very artistic in almost everything they did. From jewelry to ships and weapons, everything they created was beautifully decorated. Their art has been divided into six different styles:
Oseberg is the first style and was used during the 9th century. A great example of this style would be the items from the Oseberg ship burial such as the ships prow.
Borre is the next style and gets its name from a set of bronze bridle-mounts from a ship burial at Borre in Vestfold, Norway. This style was mostly used in the late 9th and early 10th century.
Jelling style is a form that was mostly used during the 10th century. A great example of this style is the Jelling runestone created by Harold Bluetooth.
Mammen style was used from the late 10th to early 11th century. A great example is the decorations on the famous Mammen axe.
Ringerike style was mostly used during the 11th century. There are many runestones that use this style.
Urnes is the last style and was used in he second half of the 11th century. The Urnes stave church is a great example of this style.