Bog Bodies - Windeby Girl
For many years, bog bodies have been discovered in parts of Northern Europe. Many of the bodies are so well preserved you can see minor details on their skin, for example finger prints and body hair. The bog bodies in this report are the Windeby Girl, Lindow Man, Tollund Man, Grauballe Man and the Elling Woman. Also, there is information on where they died, what their last meal was and how they died.
Windeby Girl
Windeby Girl was found by peat cutters in Southern Denmark in 1952.
The Sacrifice:
Windeby Girl lived in the Iron Age. In this time period, people worshipped a Goddess named Ertha. People would make human sacrifices to her, in return growth good crops for the season. These sacrifices usually happened during the early days of winter or spring and took place at bogs because they were considered to be sacred to the gods. Windeby Girl's hands were so well preserved; you can see the details in her hands. Her hands show no sign of hard labour; they are smooth and bared no calluses. The human sacrifices had to be youthful, fit and healthy; it would be an insult to the gods if they sacrificed a sick or poor person. This explains why Windeby Girl was chosen.
How She Died:
After archaeologist examined Windeby Girl's stomach contents, they discovered what her last meal was. It was some kind of grainy porridge, which was part of a ceremonial meal for the human sacrifices. Archaeologists found that the meal was only partly digested, which means Windeby Girl’s death happened a few hours after her eating. After Windeby Girl had eaten her meal, her head was shaven in way described as Tacitus, and she was blind folded and pushed into the bog. She was then pushed down with branches and a stone until she drowned.
Her body was found with jewellery and money, which were also part of the sacrifices mad to the goddess Ertha.
New Information on Gender:
Windeby Girl’s DNA was recently tested and researchers have found that Windeby Girl is actually a young man. Also,
Windeby Girl
Windeby Girl was found by peat cutters in Southern Denmark in 1952.
The Sacrifice:
Windeby Girl lived in the Iron Age. In this time period, people worshipped a Goddess named Ertha. People would make human sacrifices to her, in return growth good crops for the season. These sacrifices usually happened during the early days of winter or spring and took place at bogs because they were considered to be sacred to the gods. Windeby Girl's hands were so well preserved; you can see the details in her hands. Her hands show no sign of hard labour; they are smooth and bared no calluses. The human sacrifices had to be youthful, fit and healthy; it would be an insult to the gods if they sacrificed a sick or poor person. This explains why Windeby Girl was chosen.
How She Died:
After archaeologist examined Windeby Girl's stomach contents, they discovered what her last meal was. It was some kind of grainy porridge, which was part of a ceremonial meal for the human sacrifices. Archaeologists found that the meal was only partly digested, which means Windeby Girl’s death happened a few hours after her eating. After Windeby Girl had eaten her meal, her head was shaven in way described as Tacitus, and she was blind folded and pushed into the bog. She was then pushed down with branches and a stone until she drowned.
Her body was found with jewellery and money, which were also part of the sacrifices mad to the goddess Ertha.
New Information on Gender:
Windeby Girl’s DNA was recently tested and researchers have found that Windeby Girl is actually a young man. Also,