15/05/2026
Our placement student, Anna Gustavsen, who is an undergraduate student at Aarhus University in Denmark, was delighted to discover that one of Denmark’s national treasures is mentioned in the Society’s records. She uncovered and wrote the following information searching through our collections and records...
The Guldhornene (Golden Horns) date to around 400 CE. These two gold-plated horns were discovered in a field in Gallehus, southern Jutland, nearly a hundred years apart, in 1639 and 1734. Both horns were tragically stolen and melted down for gold in 1802, but their significance has been preserved through prints, drawings, and descriptions – including those found in the Society minutes of meetings.
In March 1725, Society Fellows were presented with a treatise on the horn found in 1639 by the Danish scholar and antiquary Ole Worm (1588-1654). Worm is regarded as a pioneer of northern antiquarian studies and museology, famous for his cabinet of curiosities, known as the Museum Wormianum.
The 1639 horn was also mentioned at a meeting in October 1735, where Fellows were informed of the discovery of a second golden horn bearing mysterious runic inscriptions; but the most detailed reference is from November 1786, when the Icelandic-Danish scholar Grímur Thorkelin (1752-1829) visited the Society to present engraved impressions of both horns.
The meeting minutes described the artefacts as ‘two curious Danish horns’. They offered a thorough description of their materiality and appearance, including the runic inscription on the smaller horn, which was believed to be talismanic. The following year, Thorkelin was elected an honorary member in recognition of his contribution to northern antiquarian studies (until recently, international scholars were elected as Honorary Fellows rather than achieving full Fellowship status).
In nineteenth-century Denmark, the golden horns became central to the national romantic movement as symbols of the nation’s history. During a period marked by war and political upheaval, writers and artists turned to the stories of the past in search of strength and a shared identity. Even though the original artefacts are lost to time, the horns remain powerful and celebrated symbols of Danish national culture.
Thanks to Anna for the work into researching this subject and writing about it for us!
The image shown here is a drawing of the Golden Horn of Christian V of Denmark.
