There have been various attempts at interpretation for the winged man: In Norse mythology, swan clothing is recounted in various legends, giving its wearers superhuman strength. For example, Freya, the North German goddess of love, wears plumage with which she could glide through the air like a hawk. The more masculine attributes of the figure, however, point to Wieland the blacksmith, also Wiolant, Veland, Völundr or Welent gennat, who was able to escape from the captivity of King Nnung with the help of a feather coat. Perhaps, due to his shape-shifting ability, Odin could also be considered as a role model for the winged man.
Uppåkra was the largest Iron Age settlement in Skåne in southern Sweden, less than five kilometers south of Lund, where more than 20,000 finds were recovered. Uppåkra is supposed to be one of the most culturally and politically important centers of Skåne.
Uppåkra has been inhabited since the Stone Age and had its heyday between AD 400 and 1050, as evidenced by several spectacular finds from the settlement layer. Most of them date back to the Iron Age and the Viking Age. Uppåkra appears to have been an important political, economic and religious center and possibly the royal seat of one of the earliest Skåne kingdoms.