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Odin van Lejre, ca. 900 na Chr., 1,75 x 1,98 x 1,25 cm, Lejre Museum/ROMU. Foto Ole Malling.

Odin van Lejre, ca. 900 na Chr., 1,75 x 1,98 x 1,25 cm, Lejre Museum/ROMU. Foto Ole Malling.

Rare Danish figurine ‘Odin of Lejre’ to be displayed at REDBAD exhibition in Leeuwarden

Event

People and environment

History and heritage

For the exhibition ‘REDBAD: the legendary king’, in which the Fryske Akademy is also collaborating, the Fries Museum is bringing an exceptional masterpiece to the Netherlands: the so-called Odin of Lejre from the Lejre Museum in Denmark. This rare silver statuette from the early Middle Ages is considered one of the most important material references to the pre-Christian world of the Norse gods in north-western Europe. The object will be on display in Leeuwarden from 5 September 2026.

Front and side view of Odin from Lejre, c. 900 AD, 1.75 x 1.98 x 1.25 cm, Lejre Museum/ROMU. Photo: Ole Malling.
Front and side view of Odin from Lejre, c. 900 AD, 1.75 x 1.98 x 1.25 cm, Lejre Museum/ROMU. Photo: Ole Malling.

An international masterpiece

The figurine was found in Lejre on the Danish island of Seeland. Lejre is internationally renowned for its monumental royal halls from the early Middle Ages, which are associated with kingship, diplomacy and elite culture in Scandinavia. The small silver figure is generally interpreted as Odin, also known as Wodan, seated on a high throne, flanked by two birds. Internationally, the object is regarded as an iconic example of early medieval figurative art.

Aerial photograph from 2009, taken during the excavation of several large royal halls. The hall marked with white dots was in use from around 600/650 to 750 AD and thus dates from the same period as King Redbad.
Aerial photograph from 2009, taken during the excavation of several large royal halls. The hall marked with white dots was in use from around 600/650 to 750 AD and thus dates from the same period as King Redbad.

King Redbad

According to Diana Spiekhout, curator of the Medieval and Terp Culture collections at the Fries Museum, the object is a key to understanding Redbad’s cultural world:

“This figurine reveals the world in which Redbad lived: a world in which ancient gods, power and kingship were closely intertwined. Such imagery was recognisable across large parts of pre-Christian north-western Europe, including Redbad’s Frisia. It is quite conceivable that rulers such as Redbad moved within the same diplomatic and cultural networks that linked centres of power such as Lejre and the North Sea coast. There is even a later historical source in which a grandson of Redbad is mentioned as a Danish king.”

Interreg Deutschland-Nederland REDBAD Consortium
Interreg Deutschland-Nederland REDBAD Consortium

About Project REDBAD

The European funding programme ‘Interreg VI Deutschland-Nederland’ has allocated two million euros towards the realisation of the REDBAD exhibition project. In 2026, the medieval Frisian king Redbad will be the focus of large-scale exhibitions in Leeuwarden and Emden (Germany), educational programmes in both countries, an academic publication, a popular history book and a ‘role-playing game’. Co-funders are the provinces of Fryslân and Groningen and the State Chancellery of Lower Saxony.

The Fryske Akademy is coordinating the academic volume, which will be published by Brepols Publishers. Other partners in the REDBAD project, alongside the Fries Museum, include the Ostfriesisches Landesmuseum Emden, Ostfriesische Landschaft, Learning Hub Friesland, Firda Educational Institution, the Niedersächsisches Institut für historische Küstenforschung, the Mythemakers Foundation and the University of Groningen.

The exhibition ‘REDBAD: the legendary king’ at the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden promises to be a visual spectacle: the opening to the general public is on Saturday 5 September. Keep an eye on the Fries Museum website for further information.

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