Mysterious Viking Age Woman Found Buried With Scallop Shells Covering Her Mouth

Archaeologists discovered the unusual ninth-century grave on a farm along the coast of central Norway

Sarah Kuta | Daily Correspondent

November 28, 2025

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Metal detectorist Roy Søreng was scouring a field in Norway when he stumbled upon an oval-shaped metal brooch. When archaeologists arrived to investigate, they made an even bigger discovery: the remains of a Viking Age woman who appeared to have been buried with two scallop shells placed near her mouth.

Until now, this unusual burial practice had never been documented in pre-Christian graves in Norway, according to a statement announcing the find.

“This is an incredibly exciting discovery,” says Hanna Geiran, who leads the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage, in the statement, per a translation by La Brújula Verde’s Guillermo Carvajal. “It is very rare to find such a well-preserved skeleton in ancient graves. This find has great cultural value and scientific potential.”

Archaeologists unearthed the grave earlier this year at a privately owned coastal farm in the county of Trondelag, located in central Norway. They secured extra funding from the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage to carry out the excavation, and they asked landowner Arve Innstrand to hold off on plowing the field until they could preserve and document as much of the site as possible.

In addition to the human remains, they found small bones that likely came from bird wings and several pieces of jewelry, which may have been part of her clothing. They think the woman was buried sometime in the ninth century wearing a halter-style dress that had two oval brooches attached to the straps. She also donned a petticoat with a smaller brooch affixed to the neckline. Based on her garments, the researchers suspect she may have been a married woman on a farm.

It’s not clear why the woman was buried with bird bones, nor why she had two large scallop shells on her face. Researchers found the shells with the curved sides facing outward and the straight edges turned up, so that they covered part of her mouth.

The scallop shells might have once been part of some larger artifact that has since disintegrated, though researchers haven’t found any evidence—such as holes in the shells—to support that theory, reports Live Science’s Kristina Killgrove.

Later, in the Middle Ages, scallops had Christian significance associated with the cult of St. James. But they are very rarely found in pre-Christian graves, according to the researchers.

“It is likely that the scallop shells had a symbolic meaning intended to be communicated to those witnessing the burial; unfortunately it is difficult to guess what this meaning could have been,” Raymond Sauvage, a senior engineer with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s University Museum who is managing the project, tells Live Science in an email.

The shells were probably collected locally, as great Atlantic scallops live throughout the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, including along the Norwegian coast. However, their specific origins remain a mystery.

“These parts of Norway are excellent grounds for collecting scallops,” Sauvage tells Live Science. “However, you need to dive to catch them; thus, it is uncertain if they were caught via free-diving or if they are dead shells gathered at the beach.”

On the same farm, archaeologists also unearthed another skeleton—though it appears to be one to three generations older than the Viking Age woman, likely dating to the eighth century. They hope to continue their research to learn more about both individuals, including whether and how they may have been related.

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Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. She covers history, science, travel, food and beverage, sustainability, economics and other topics.