Germanic imagery

At first sight, the imagery on the gold pendant jewellery of northern Europe could be taken as depictions of falconry hunting: some gold bracteates from the Migration Period (5th–6th centuries AD) show a central motif with a large anthropomorphic head on top of a quadruped and, in addition, a small bird. Yet in comparison to other bracteate motifs and to all related images of their time, such an interpretation should be rejected – whether it is understood as a real or mythical scene. On other kinds of objects, clear portrayals of the use of birds of prey as hunting assistants are also lacking. Consequently, there is no evidence of the existence or even the knowledge of falconry in the Germanic North during the 5th and 6th centuries.