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>
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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>
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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>
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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>
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