Asle Toje, a Norwegian scholar, recently sparked a conversation about the return of certain artefacts from Denmark to Norway. As a columnist for the weekly newspaper Morgenbladet, the scholar questioned the position of the Kongshornet, a decorative horn, in the Danish National Museum. This conversation also started with the announcement of the opening of a National Museum in the capital city, Oslo, in 2020. The columnist stated that that the horn deserves to be displayed in its real home in Norway.
The artefact in detail
The artefact is referred to as the Kongshornet. The decorative horn itself is eight-six centimetres long and was used in the 1300s in the Norwegian court. Known as a drinking horn, it stored beer, mead or wine. These drinks were served to welcome individuals into the royal courtroom. For a brief period, the horn travelled to Ireland. However, it finally found its place in Denmark in 1720, moving from an art museum to the National Museum.
Toje questioned the accuracy of these details of its use and journey. She mentioned that the National Museum of Denmark had displayed these details but, this representation of the Norwegian kingdom was “just a fairytale”.
History of the two countries
To understand the nature of this “controversy”, it is important to understand the past of the Nordic countries.
From 1392 to 1523, Denmark, Norway, Sweden were singularly ruled by a monarch. Though the three kingdoms remained separate, their foreign and domestic policies were dictated by the monarch, initially Erik of Pomerania. In the 1500s, Sweden rebelled against the monarch and attained freedom. Yet, Norway was proclaimed to be a part of the Danish province.
In 1814, the union of Denmark and Norway also ended. This was called the 400 Year Night since the union itself lasted for four hundred and thirty-four years.
The mixing of artefacts
The mixing of artefacts between the countries stems from the singular monarchy that took place for more than a hundred years.
This includes the dispute over artefacts like Margrethe I’s wedding dress, which currently resides in Sweden. Yet, it cannot be known which country the dress originally belongs to or should be situated in.
With the development of National Museums, it is natural that a country would resent the presence of an artefact, which they have equal right over, in the museum of another country.
Such artefacts include the Neptune fountain, the Isted Lion, several historical paintings and the Icelandic sagas. Yet, some of these artefacts have been returned to the place of their undisputable origin like the Isted Lion. The Isted Lion was a Danish war memorial which was returned from Denmark to its home Flensburg, Germany in 2011.
The significance of the horn
The scholar, Toje, stated in her article that it was important that all the artefacts found their way home since they were all representatives of their lands. They were valuable to their respective countries due to their indication of the history of the people and the life in that century. It was important for Norway that such artefacts would find their way in their National museum and would come from Denmark as a “gift” by 2020. She also described the artefact to be a “symbol” of “national importance” to Norway.
The Deputy Director of the National Museum in Denmark, Camilla Mordhorst, stated that both countries have an “interlinked history”. Contrary to the scholar’s views, she stated that if “everything” was delivered back then“there would be significant chapters of” their “common stories” which they would not be “able to tell at all”.
These contrasting views are the origins of this dispute between the three countries. The tumultuous history between the countries has given way to the recent misunderstanding and enmity. The debate between origin and representation of history is one with many complexes but has now become a political debate since the release of the article. Though the public awaits a solution, the artefacts themselves are lost in the whirlpool of contrasting arguments.
