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13.12.2020

The elk, Taderup

In the rock paintings of Northern Scandinavia, you can occasionally come across depictions of boats and moose. However, hunting scenes are relatively rare in these ancient artworks. An intriguing combination of a painted moose and a carved boat with a man carrying a spear was discovered in Vastrand, in Norway's Trøndelag region. This may represent a unique example of an elk hunting scene.

An exhausted and wounded bull moose met its fate 8,700 years ago, sinking to the bottom of a lake at Toderup in Falster. In 1922, its skeleton was found in a peat bog, alongside a broken bone tip that may have been used for hunting. Later, a serrated harpoon was also discovered in the same peat bog.

Various tools and weapons were crafted from the horns and bones of large animals, highlighting the intensity of hunting during that time. In fact, the species became extinct in Zealand around 8,500 years ago due to relentless hunting pressure. Nevertheless, the elk continued to hold significant importance in the mythology of hunters. Valuable items like beads made from elk teeth and tools fashioned from elk horns were exchanged and highly prized.

Harpoons, particularly those associated with elk hunting during the Maglemosian period, were commonly made from the limb bones of elk and red deer. Hunting with harpoons was a long-standing practice in Scandinavia, and the shape of the harpoon point varied depending on the prey being pursued. In some instances in Denmark, harpoons were found in close proximity to animal skeletons.

Toothed harpoons, dating back to the Maglemosian period, were designed as hunting implements with large serrations carved from bone. They were primarily used for hunting floating elk and red deer. Elk often fed on aquatic plants in extensive water areas, making lakeside hunting a common practice. Hunters, aided by dogs, would drive elk into the water and then use harpoons to subdue the swimming animals. Harpoons could also be attached to fishing lines, allowing hunters to control the wounded animal's movement near their boat. This gave them the opportunity to deliver a final blow with a club or pierce the vital organs using arrowheads or spears. This method of hunting was highly effective, to the point where it is now considered unsportsmanlike and banned in many parts of Canada and the northern United States.

Discoveries of later harpoon heads from the Congemose and Ertebølle periods in Zealand indicate that hunting of floating wildlife persisted over time. Nonetheless, some animals managed to evade their pursuers, including the wounded elk from Toderup.

The elk, Taderup

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