477g Breccia Skull – Beowulf

Half a century after the heroism of his youth, Beowulf was an old king of the Geats when a thief stole a priceless cup from the dragon’s hoard. The dragon, cloaked in fire at night, exacted revenge. He burned the land down, and with it Beowulf’s own house, the most beautiful of all houses. The venerable king had a shield forged entirely of iron, for he knew that linden wood would not withstand the flames. On the Dragon Hill, his followers fled into the forest, only the young Wiglaf remained by his side. Beowulf’s blade failed him, and the dragon sank fangs into his throat, until the poison rose in his chest. Together they slew the beast, but the old king died of his wounds. His people burned him on a funeral heap, adorned with shields and gleaming cuirasses, and a Geat woman sang the death lament. On a cape overlooking the sea they raised for him a burial mound for ships’ captains to see from afar. Twelve warriors eulogized him, saying he had been the gentlest of kings, the kindest to his people, and the most hungry for glory. This skull bears the face of such a warrior. Its left side looks burned and caustic, bright and porous, as if dragon fire and venom had brushed it. Across the rest of the skull run scars: pale veins surround gray, angular fields like healed wounds. Where the gray remains intact, it shines polished and dense like armor that has withstood the test. Compact and heavy in the hand, marked by life and yet unbroken. This is how one looks who has devoted his life to honor and service to his realm, and who has every adventure written into his face. Rock like this is called breccia by geologists. The word comes from Italian and traces back to a Germanic root related to our “break.” A breccia forms from rock that once fractured. Its jagged fragments were later cemented back into solid stone by minerals precipitating from percolating water. The light veins are such healed fractures, and they hold this skull together to this day: broken, but not broken beyond repair. Material: Breccia rocks – jagged gray rock fragments in a pale, cream-colored matrix, traversed by white quartz veins Origin: USA Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 6.6 cm Weight: 477 g Special features: Left side of skull predominantly light, matte, and porous; gray areas polished and gleaming; reticulated light veins around gray fragments, especially on the right side of the skull; fine natural line (healed fissure) diagonally across the back of the head; rust-brown stains (iron oxide), including on the forehead; natural pores and small depressions in the light areas

Estimación:€1

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