The Bowman Who Takes the Lid off the Franks Casket

This precious whalebone artefact produced in about eighth-century Northumbria belongs to the category of minor arts and has been marginalised as attention has been diverted to other more well-known works. However, it should legitimately be considered as one of the greatest examples of carving from the early Middle Ages. Its iconography is striking due to both its complexity and the variety of fonts which it displays. Moreover, the Casket stands as a surviving repository of visual and verbal messages which recall the vivid tradition of literary riddles which was part and parcel of Old English Literature. If the archer and his mission are put into a biblical context, new light might be thrown on one who bravely protects himself and another who takes shelter in the fortified building assailed by a group of vicious soldiers. And a story might emerge which justifies the scene’s prominent position on the lid.