Viking ship rigging ... What’s this called

[Srodbro]

I am currently building the Gokstad Ship by Dusek. 
Integral to the rigging of the shrouds and stay is this “ thing”, to facilitate frequent raising or lowering of the mast. 

The kit variously refers to it as a shroud block, or shroud cleat, in spite of the fact that it also occurs in the stay. N.Nicolaysen’s beautiful treatise from 1882 on the Gokstad Ship Discovery has a great sketch of it, but does not name it other than “ unidentified implements “. I’m sure 9th or 10th Century Scandinavian sailors had a colorful or functional name for it, probably referring to some animal name, or something to do with a sexual reference ( or maybe both) as sailors are wont to do. 
In this pic I’ve installed it in the stay. 

Any suggestions?

[wefalck]

Have you searched the more recent literature on this, particularly that coming out of the Viking-ship museums in Oslo and Roskilde ?

[EricWilliamMarshall]

http://www.jans-sajt.se/contents/Navigation/Modelling/Patterns_Rigg_Viking.htm seems to call it a wantenbefestigung which Google translation believes to be a 'shroud attachment'. But I wouldn't put much faith is such a translation.
http://www.jans-sajt.se/contents/Navigation/Modelling/VikingRigging.jpg

[wefalck]

'shroud attachment' is the literal translation of 'Wantenbefestigung', but this is just a description of its function, not a proper term.

 

The link above is a Swedish Web-site using an old German reference. Fircks is not really a specialist for Viking-age shipping, he just pulled together various informations.

 

Actually, I doubt that we can ever know what the parts are known, because there are no contemporary written sources that match the archaeological finds. I am not an expert on Nordic shipping, but perhaps there is somewhere an equivalent modern part in use. Its modern name then may be derived from the old term ...

[kelvgard]

upside down

[Srodbro]

What?? “ Upside down?”

[Ian_Grant]

Don't know what they're called, but I have some modern metal ones (much smaller scale) bought in outdoor supply store. I use them to tension the guy ropes on the pool's leaf net cover every fall, then remove the net after the leaves are down and before snow.

[Srodbro]

ANSWERED!

 

I knew someone out there would eventually reveal its name. 
 

In NRG Journal, Vol. 67, No. 2, page 164, it is named as an Angel Cleat, (presumably the two “ wings” calling to mind an angel. 
 

Thanks to Clayton Feldman for his articles on building a model of Skuldelev 3.