Two experienced metal detectorists were about to end a long day searching a field near Åndalsnes when Kim Erik Fylling Dybvik got a strong signal. Just below the surface of the freshly plowed earth lay a bronze or copper Christ figure with outstretched arms. Traces of gilding remained visible on the face and body.
"I could just reach down and lift it up," Dybvik said. "It filled my palm. I quickly realized it was medieval."
The discovery came as the pair were returning to their car after a productive day that yielded silver coins and about 70 tin and copper buttons from a later period. Dybvik, who has traveled across Norway with his metal detector for over eleven years, described the moment as one of his biggest thrills.
"I almost had to rub my eyes," he said. "My pulse shot straight up. These are the moments that make us keep doing this - rescuing cultural history that would otherwise be lost."
Archaeologists estimate the artifact dates from the 1100s-1200s, placing it in the High Middle Ages. Former county conservator Bjørn Ringstad called it "an unusual find" and congratulated the discoverers in a social media post.
The detectorists immediately contacted local field archaeologist Aaron Johnston, who interrupted his dinner to examine the discovery. They worked under car headlights as darkness fell.
"It was fascinating," Johnston said. "I could see Dybvik was moved. It's special to see Christ staring at you from the ground."
The team documented the find with photographs and measurements before carefully packaging the figure in acid-free paper. The artifact now rests in Johnston's refrigerator awaiting transport to cultural authorities.
The discovery location wasn't random - the field lies near where a medieval church once stood, and previous finds in the area include a Viking-era brooch with its pin still intact found by Dybvik just last week.
This remarkable preservation seems almost miraculous given centuries of agricultural activity. "This figure had been moved nearly every time the field was plowed and could have been destroyed," Dybvik noted.
The Christ figure will be transferred to county cultural authorities in Molde before heading to NTNU in Trondheim for further study. For history enthusiasts, such discoveries demonstrate how much remains hidden beneath Norway's soil, waiting for dedicated searchers to bring lost artifacts back to light.