| The Golden Horns of Gallehus are legendary relics | | | | shorter replica is after the memories of those |
| of the past in several ways. First and foremost | | | | who saw the original it is not even sure that it has |
| they are memorabilia from far back as they may | | | | been rendered correctly. Now we think that the |
| date back to the 3rd century, and secondly they | | | | inscription reads something like "I Hlewagastiz |
| are historical riddles as they were found and lost, | | | | Holtijaz made the horn", but that may not be |
| but sort of reshaped after drawings and | | | | quite correct. Also, the interpretation of this |
| memories by people who actually saw them. That | | | | presumed statement is debatable because the |
| means that they both exist as archaeological finds | | | | name may be symbolical and it may be split up |
| and symbols of the past and as eternal enigmas. | | | | into "I, the guest of Hlewe", but nobody knows |
| The first one was found in 1639. Both horns were | | | | for sure what it means. |
| incomplete, but this one was longer than the | | | | What happened to those unique finds was that |
| second find from 1734. The one from 1639 had | | | | the goldsmith and watchmaker Niels Heidenreich |
| seven segments full of ornaments. It also had | | | | stole both the horns on May 2, 1802, using forged |
| plain segments which may have been added by | | | | keys. He took them home and melted them |
| the restaurateur. Nobody knows for sure as even | | | | down in order to recycle the gold. The next day |
| the casts of both the horns were lost, even the | | | | the theft was discovered and a large bounty for |
| plaster one for a cardinal in Rome as it was | | | | finding the thief was announced in the papers. The |
| destroyed in a shipwreck. However, it is known | | | | grandmaster of the goldsmiths guild already |
| that they consisted of two layers of gold sheets, | | | | suspected Heidenreich of foul play as he had tried |
| but the outer one of a finer quality than the inner | | | | to sell some forgeries in bad gold. On April 27 the |
| one. | | | | suspect was arrested and three days later he |
| The second horn was not found until almost 100 | | | | confessed the theft and was sentenced to prison |
| years later although their finding places were quite | | | | where he died four years later. Those who had |
| close. This second horn is the shorter one. It | | | | bought his forgeries returned them, but there |
| consisted of six segments, one of them bearing | | | | was no attempt to reshape the horns in gold. |
| an inscription at the rim and five full of images. | | | | However, the horns were copied after memory |
| Nobody knows the purpose of the horns, | | | | and drawings, but some of these copies were |
| whether they were for drinking or for blowing. | | | | also stolen. It even happened in modern time |
| However, many have tried to interpret the | | | | when a set of copies were stolen in 1993 and in |
| images and the old Norse text. Some think it has | | | | 2007. Both were recovered, but it is strange that |
| an astrological meaning, others that it only has a | | | | theft seems to cling to these horns, both the |
| historical or religious bearing. As the text of the | | | | genuine ones and the replicas. |