A carved volcanic rock animal figurine, likely used as a toy, was recently uncovered in the Fjörður excavation at Seyðisfjörður, a village in East Iceland. It was found in the remains of a longhouse, the site was part of a Viking-age settlement buried by a landslide in 1150, c. 940-1000. (1032×1440)

The historical Fjörður farm site, which began as a preliminary dig in 2020, has since yielded over 4,000 artifacts during excavation, including nearly 100 Viking game pieces from a board game called “hnefatafl,” spindle whorls, rock crystals, and 70 chess piece fragments, all crafted from volcanic tuff.

Experts & archaeologists are still unsure exactly what animal the figurine depicts. The most likely interpretation is a boar or pig, but others have called the figurine a bear or even an Icelandic dog. The animal is likely the latter, considering the lack of bear species native to Iceland and the face not matching up to that of an Icelandic dog.