Sources
Source 1
“... Mother rolled up her sleeves and started digging in the mud. She dug into the cliff where people were standing cutting peat and said: "You can say whatever you want to but there's something strange here." She kept digging, and then she stuck her fingers in between the forehead and the cap on the Tollund Man's head...”
Said by John Kausland, the son of the woman who discovered the Tollund Man.
This source, found on the official website of the Tollund Man, describes the discovery of the Tollund Man. It is reliable because it is a first-hand account said by John Kausland, which is a primary source. John Kausland is the son of Grethe Højgaard who had found the Tollund Man, and was present at the discovery site. This eyewitness account is very detailed in what exactly happened on the day when Kausland’s mother found Tollund Man proving it to be very useful. The source tells where the body was (in a mud cliff where people were cutting peat), the risks of damage to the Tollund Man before, during and after it was found (people cutting peat very near to it, Kausland’s mother stuck her fingers between the forehead and the cap). It also shows people’s attitude to the find at the time (mother saying you can say whatever you want), including Kausland’s mother, stepfather and stepfather’s brother. However John Kausland said this many years after the event, so he may have forgotten or altered some details or added false details without realising it. The original quote was also most likely said in Danish so the English translation may not be very accurate. Overall this source is quite useful and moderately reliable.
This source, found on the official website of the Tollund Man, describes the discovery of the Tollund Man. It is reliable because it is a first-hand account said by John Kausland, which is a primary source. John Kausland is the son of Grethe Højgaard who had found the Tollund Man, and was present at the discovery site. This eyewitness account is very detailed in what exactly happened on the day when Kausland’s mother found Tollund Man proving it to be very useful. The source tells where the body was (in a mud cliff where people were cutting peat), the risks of damage to the Tollund Man before, during and after it was found (people cutting peat very near to it, Kausland’s mother stuck her fingers between the forehead and the cap). It also shows people’s attitude to the find at the time (mother saying you can say whatever you want), including Kausland’s mother, stepfather and stepfather’s brother. However John Kausland said this many years after the event, so he may have forgotten or altered some details or added false details without realising it. The original quote was also most likely said in Danish so the English translation may not be very accurate. Overall this source is quite useful and moderately reliable.
Source 2
This photograph shows the reconstructed rope that was placed around Tollund Man's neck when he was first discovered. This photo was found on the official website of the Tollund Man and is a secondary source as it was reconstructed by Danish scientists after the discovery and examination of the body in forensic labs. The source shows us that a long rope had been placed as a noose around the neck of Tollund Man which could be tightened or loosened as desired. Therefore the rope was most likely used to hang the body to death maybe a punishment for a crime or sacrifice to the gods. Due to this noose being a replica of the original it may not be as reliable as it could have undergone several errors while reconstructing it from the original. Overall this photo is useful in terms of showing us a close up of how the noose looked like and is more or less reliable.