Tiny Viking Figurine Reveals First Real Viking Portrait and Hairstyles!

A small ivory figure, no bigger than a thumb, is offering historians a new and surprisingly detailed glimpse into Viking life, and even their hairstyles. Carved more than a thousand years ago, the piece is now thought to be the closest thing we have to a real Viking portrait.

The figurine, just three centimetres tall, was carved from walrus ivory in the late 10th century, during the reign of Harald Bluetooth. It was originally unearthed in 1796 from a burial mound near the Oslofjord in Norway. Despite its significance, it spent more than 200 years tucked away in the stores of the National Museum of Denmark, catalogued under number 589 and largely overlooked.

That was until curator Peter Pentz rediscovered it while preparing an exhibition. “When I encountered him in one of our storage rooms a few years ago, I was quite surprised - he just sat there, staring straight at me, and I had never before seen such a Viking,” Pentz explained. He describes it as “exceptional,” adding: “This is as close as we will ever get to a portrait of a Viking.”

Photo Credit: Roberto Fortuna, National Museum of Denmark

The level of detail in the carving is remarkable. The man’s hair is carefully parted down the middle, short at the back, and swept aside to reveal his ear. His facial hair is equally distinctive: a thick moustache, long braided goatee, sharp sideburns, and even a delicate curl above the ear.

For researchers, these features shed light on Viking grooming habits in a way no other artefact has managed before. “This is the first time we have a male Viking figure whose hair is visible from all angles,” Pentz noted. “It’s unique.”

The ivory bust was probably once part of the board game Hnefatafl, a strategic pastime popular in the Viking Age. If so, it would have represented the king, the most important piece on the board. But some scholars suspect it may depict more than just a generic leader. Its stern expression and carefully styled beard have led to speculation that it could even be a likeness of Harald Bluetooth himself, the king credited with uniting Denmark and introducing Christianity.

What makes the carving so extraordinary is that Viking art usually favoured abstract motifs or animal designs. Human portraits were rare, and even coins offered only generic profiles. By contrast, this figurine feels personal, even individual, a rare glimpse of how the Viking elite may have seen themselves.

The choice of material also hints at wealth and status. Walrus ivory, imported from Greenland, was among the most prized and expensive materials of the time. Whoever commissioned the piece clearly belonged to the upper ranks of Viking society.

After centuries in storage, the figure has now returned to public view as part of the National Museum’s exhibition The Wolf’s Warning in Copenhagen. For Pentz and his colleagues, the rediscovery is more than a curiosity: it’s a window into how Vikings styled their hair, their beards, and even their sense of identity.

“Up until now, we didn’t have any detailed information regarding Viking hairstyles,” Pentz said. “But here we have all the details.”