Viking Urnes Style Bead: the Ribbon Dragon
Specifications
| Color | Silver |
| Material | Zinc alloy, antique silver finish |
| Dimensions | Height: 10 mm | Diameter: 8 mm | Hole: 6 mm |
| For | Unisex |
- For: men and women (adults)
- Zinc alloy, antique silver finish
- 6 mm hole · worn on a beard or hair braid
- Sold individually, height 10 mm, diameter 8 mm
- Free shipping from 49€ · secure payment
The Ribbon Beast — the last great style of Viking art
An antique silver-finish beard and hair bead, bordered at the top and bottom by twisted rope, with a body featuring an elongated beast with limbs stretched into fine ribbons. This is no fairytale dragon: it is a creature of Scandinavian animal art, and it has a datable style.
Find this design in our Viking beard and hair bead collection.
What sets this beard bead apart
- The two twisted rope borders are unique to this model: they frame the motif and provide extra grip for the braid.
- Antique silver finish, like the triquetra — the two can be worn together on the same braid without clashing.
- A slip-on, not a clasp: the bead slides onto the lock of hair before braiding. It is the thickness of the braid that secures it, so there is nothing that can break.
- Approximately 6mm hole: the only criterion that truly matters. It must be slightly narrower than the finished braid, and slightly wider than the loose lock of hair.
Specifications
- Material: Zinc alloy, antique silver finish
- Inner hole: approximately 6 mm
- Dimensions: approximately 10 mm high, 8 mm in diameter
- Wear: beard, mustache, or hair, on a braided plait
- Sold: individually
Did you know?
This type of beast has a specific name: the Urnes style, named after the stave church in Urnes, Norway, whose 11th-century carved portal provides the most famous example. It is the last of the great Scandinavian styles, following Borre, Jelling, Mammen, and Ringerike — and the most slender: the bodies are reduced to fine, intertwining ribbons that become almost abstract. An interlace on a piece of Viking jewelry is therefore not "Celtic": it is Nordic, and it has a date.
To learn more, our Viking hairstyle guide details cuts, braids, and beards, with sources to support it, and our Futhark alphabet guide covers each sign one by one.
Complete your set
What is the Urnes style?
It is the last major style of Scandinavian animal art, named after the Urnes stave church in Norway. It is recognizable by its beasts reduced to thin, interlaced ribbons.
Is this motif a dragon?
It is a beast from Norse animal art, often called a dragon for convenience. The sources give it no name: it is an ornamental vocabulary, not a bestiary.
What finish does this bead have?
Antique silver, with two twisted-rope borders. It is one of the two silver-tone models in this series, along with the triquetra.
What braid thickness does this bead fit?
The hole measures about 6 mm, which suits a medium-density beard braid or a thin braid of hair.
Delivery — Allow 7 to 15 business days for mainland France, 10 to 20 days for the European Union. Free delivery on orders over €49.
Delivery guarantee — If your parcel is not delivered within 60 business days, we will provide an immediate reshipment or a full refund.
14-day returns — You have 14 calendar days from receipt to request an exchange or refund. The item must be returned within this period, in its original packaging.
Legal guarantees — All our products are covered by the legal guarantee of conformity and the guarantee against hidden defects, in accordance with the Consumer Code and the Civil Code.
