Germanic boar helmet

The boar was an important symbol in prehistoric Europe, where, according to the archaeologist Jennifer Foster, it was "venerated, eulogised, hunted and eaten ... for millennia, until its virtual extinction in recent historical time.

In Gesta Danorum, Book VII, the formation is taught by Odin to Harald Wartooth, who was named due to the tusks he grew to replace two of his teeth that fell out while he was young.

[8] In mythological sources, the boar Saehrimnir is killed each day to feed the einherjar, while Gullinbursti and Hildisvíni are owned by the gods Freyr and Freyja respectively.

[10] In a ritual context, swine are often sacrificed and eaten during blóts (in particular the sonarblót), and are central in some forms of heitstrenging, where the boar is described as being holy.

[13] Boar symbolism and religious practice is closely associated with Sweden, a cultic centre for Freyr, and where it has been suggested to have been a totemic animal.

Ða wæs on healle heardecg togen sweord ofer setlum, sidrand manig hafen handa fæst; helm ne gemunde, byrnan side, þa hine se broga angeat.

Her onslaught was less only by as much as an amazon warrior's strength is less than an armed man's when the hefted sword, its hammered edge and gleaming blade slathered in blood, razed the sturdy boar-ridge off a helmet.

Then in the hall, hard-honed swords were grabbed from the bench, many a broad shield lifted and braced; there was little thought of helmets or woven mail when they woke in terror.

Ne frín þú æfter saélum, sorh is geníwod Denigea léodum, déad is Æschere Yrmenláfes yldra bróþor mín rúnwita ond mín raédbora eaxlgestealla, ðonne we on orlege hafelan weredon, þonne hniton feþan, eoferas cnysedan, swylc eorl scolde wesan aérgód swylc Æschere wæs.

Dead is Æschere, the elder son of Yrmenlaf; my counsels were his and his wisdom mine, at my right hand he stood when on fatal field we fended our lives, as the ranks clashed in battle and the boar-crests rang.

[50] Hildigǫltr is also listed as a heiti for a helmet in Nafnaþulur, and is attested in the skaldic poetry of Háttatal:[51][52] Holt felr hildigelti heila bæs, ok deilir gulls í gelmis stalli gunnseið, skörungr, reiðir.

The heiti valgǫltr is also used in Hrafnsmál as part of a battle kenning:[52] Feldi folks valdi fyrst ens gollbyrsta velti valgaltar Vígfús þanns hétu; slíta þar síðan sôrum benskárar brôð af bǫð-Nirði, Bjarnar arfnytja.

[59] It has also been proposed that, similar to úlfheðnar and berserkers, putting on a boar-helmet may be akin to shape-changing, allowing the wearer to take on qualities of the animal, in addition to its appearance.

The distinction has been suggested to result from bears and wolves being predatory, while boars, though fierce and often fighting to the death when cornered, forage rather than hunt.