Body in the Bog: Elling Woman

In 1938, a local farmer discovered what he thought to be the remains of an animal in a peat bog in Bjældskovdal outside Silkeberg, Denmark. Then, he noticed a belt fastened around the remains. Instead of a drowned animal, he had found the remains of a long-deceased human. The farmer contacted the National Museum of Denmark and the body was subsequently transported to Copenhagen for further inspection.

The front of the body suffered decomposition while the back had been better preserved by the acidity and lack of oxygen in the bog. It was determined that the person wore a skin cloak and belt with a blanket of cowhide covering the lower body and legs. Because of the furrow left in the neck and the skin belt with a sliding knot which was discovered with the body, it was determined that this person was hanged to death. With the available technology of the time, researchers found it impossible to discover more, and the body was then moved to a storage room in the museum.

It was not until the 1970's that x-ray technology allowed researchers to discover the sex and age of the body. These were the remains of a young woman, approximately 25 years old. Radio Carbon dating placed her lifespan during the 4th and 2nd centuries B.C. in Northwestern Europe.

Although the discovery of bodies preserved in Northern European bogs was not unusual, nor was her mode of death or dress uncommon amongst the bodies found, one there was something remarkable about the body.

Body in the Bog -- Tollund Man

When digging in the Bjaeldskovdal peat bog in May of 1950, two brothers and one of their wives stumbled upon a corpse. Under more than six fit of peat, it lay in the fetal position, a cap still on it's on head and a rope still tightened around its neck. The face was that of a man, his stubble and wrinkles still evident, his expression strangely peaceful. Besides the pointed, sheepskin cap, a wide belt around his waist, and his noose, the body was completely nude. Believing they had discovered a recently murdered man, the family notified the police in Silkeborg, Denmark.

Unable to determine a time of death, the police eventually brought in archaeology professor P.V. Glob to assist. His findings? The acid and lack of oxygen in the peat bog along with cold Scandinavian temperatures had preserved the body for over 2,000 years and it had likely been placed there as a ritual sacrifice.