Disc-shaped animal ornament inStyle II B

Wheel motifs with three and four spokes shaped like animal heads were common throughout all the Germanic styles preceding the Viking Age.

In the Germanic Style II B the animal decorations transcend the figurative depictive forms of the previous styles. From this style period going forward, the animal ornaments are developed into the more abstracted and enigmatic ribbon animal interlace pattern which eventually came to be the iconic trademark of the Viking Age.

Check out the article on Style II B here:

The Anatomy of Germanic Art: Style II B