700-1100 AD, Viking Age. A silver coiled ring with trailing ends and flaring central plate bearing an incised scale motif, intended to evoke the form of a snake. In Norse mythology, Jormungand (pronounced “YOUR-mun-gand;” Old Norse Jörmungandr, “Great Beast”), also called the “Midgard Serpent,” is a snake or dragon who lives in the ocean that surrounds Midgard, the visible world. He was so enormous that his body forms a circle around the entirety of Midgard. He is one of the three children of Loki and the giantess Angrboda, along with Hel and Fenrir. Excellent condition; beautiful patina; Size: D: 15.4mm / US: 4 5/8 / UK: J; 3.4g; Provenance: From the collection of a gentleman based in London; formerly in an old British collection; acquired in the 1980s.