The Gevninge helmet fragment is the dexter eyepiece of a Danish helmet from the Viking Age or end of the Nordic Iron Age. It was found in 2000 during the excavation of a Viking farmstead at Gevninge. The fragment is moulded from bronze and gilded, and consists of a stylised eyebrow with eyelashes above an oval opening. There are three holes at the top and bottom of the fragment to affix the eyepiece to a helmet. One of two Scandinavian eyepieces discovered alone, it may have been deposited in an invocation of the one-eyed god Odin. Gevninge is three kilometres (1.9 mi) upriver from Lejre, a one-time centre of power believed to be the setting for Heorot, the fabled mead hall to which the epic hero Beowulf journeys in search of the monster Grendel; on his way, Beowulf passes through an armed outpost comparable to Gevninge. The eyepiece has been in the collection of the Lejre Museum since its discovery, and has been exhibited internationally as part of a traveling exhibition on Vikings.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gevninge_helmet_fragment

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1863:

Seventeen-year-old Vilhelm, Prince of Denmark, arrived in Athens to become George I, King of Greece. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_I_of_Greece

1918:

The Armistice of Mudros was signed in Greece, ending the hostilities in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I, and paving the way for the occupation of Constantinople and the subsequent partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_of_Mudros

1938:

The radio drama The War of the Worlds, based on the science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, frightened many listeners in the United States into believing that an actual Martian invasion was in progress. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_%28radio_drama%29

1993:

The Troubles: Three members of the Ulster Defence Association opened fire in a crowded pub during a Halloween party, killing eight civilians and wounding nineteen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greysteel_massacre

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

talaria: (Greek mythology, Roman mythology) The winged sandals worn by certain gods and goddesses, especially the Roman god Mercury (and his Greek counterpart Hermes). https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/talaria

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Virtue is not always amiable. Integrity is sometimes ruined by prejudices and by passions.   --John Adams https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Adams