Elling Woman

Uncommon card · No. 197525

The Elling Woman (Danish: Ellingpigen) is a bog body of a woman who died during the Pre-Roman Iron Age and whose remains were discovered in 1938 in the Bjældskovdal bog, west of Silkeborg in central Jutland, Denmark. Radiocarbon dating places her death around 355-205 BCE and examination of the remains indicates that she was approximately 25-35 years old when she died. The Elling Woman was found wrapped in a sheepskin cape, with a separate animal hide tied around her legs and a leather thong around her neck. Her approximately 90 cm (35 in)-long hair was exceptionally well preserved and retained an elaborate braided hairstyle. Marks on her neck and the surviving leather thong indicate that she died by hanging or strangulation. Initially identified as male, the body was recognized as female after radiographic examinations in 1976 and 1978. The Tollund Man, another Iron Age bog body who also died by hanging, was discovered in 1950 approximately 60 m (200 ft) from where the Elling Woman had...

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