A cache of rare wooden masks inlaid with polished amber has been discovered in a peat bog on the Jutland Peninsula. Dated to approximately 1000 BC, these masks are inscribed with solar motifs and runic precursors, suggesting they were worn by dancers during prehistoric midwinter sun-calling festivals.
The preservation in the bog has kept the organic materials intact, allowing researchers to see the golden resin glazes used to make the masks glow by firelight. This discovery offers the most definitive evidence to date for the early origins of the 'Sun-Return' traditions that eventually evolved into the modern Yule celebrations of Northern Europe.