The cult of saints and the subsequent interest in relics constituted one
of the essential characteristics of medieval Western Christianity. In
particular, relics and reliquaries are prime examples of the importance
of materiality in devotion. In the present article we analyse one of the
medieval skull relics of Turku Cathedral and its material
characteristics in detail. Previous examinations undertaken in the 1920s
and 1940s produced two theories of its origins and identification. By
analysing the bone material and the narrative depiction of martyrdom
embroidered on the silk wrapping, State Archaeologist Juhani Rinne
connected the relic to St Henry, the patron saint of Finland and the
cathedral, while State Archaeologist Carl Axel Nordman identified it as
belonging to St Eric, the patron saint of the Kingdom of Sweden. By
re-examining the central element of the skull relic, the bones, with
osteological analysis and radiocarbon dating, we show both theories to
be highly problematic. Our analysis reveals the complex material
features of the skull relic and the medieval cult of relics.