Snoldelev Stone
| Snoldelev Stone | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Height | 1.25 meters |
| Writing | Younger futhark |
| Symbols | interlaced horns;swastika |
| Created | 9th century AD |
| Discovered | c. 1775 Snoldelev,Ramsø,Denmark |
| Discovered by | farmers |
| Present location | National Museum of Denmarkin Copenhagen |
| Culture | Norse |
| RundataID | DR 248 |
| Runemaster | unknown |
| Text – Native | |
| Gunwalds sten, sonaʀ Roalds, þulaʀ a Salhøgum. | |
| Translation | |
| Gunnvaldr's stone, Hróaldr's son, reciter of Salhaugar | |
TheSnoldelev Stone,listed asDR 248in theRundatacatalog, is a 9th-centuryrunestonethat was originally located at Snoldelev,Ramsø,Denmark.
Description[edit]
The Snoldelev Stone, which is 1.25 metres (4 ft 1 in) in height, is decorated with painted scratches depicting a design of threedrinking hornsinterlocking as incompleteBorromean rings(similar to theDiane de Poitiersthree crescents emblem). The stone was first noted in 1810 and was turned over to the national Antiquities Commission in 1811.[1]The runestone is now housed at theNational Museum of DenmarkinCopenhagen,Denmark.
The inscription on the Snoldelev Stone shows an early version of theYounger Futhark.Like the lateElder FutharkBjörketorp Runestone,it uses an a-rune
which has the same form as the h-rune has in the long-branch version of the younger futhark. This a-rune is transliterated with a capitalAbelow. The Snoldelev runestone also retains the elder futharkhaglazrune (
) for the h-phoneme[1]and this is represented by capitalHin the transliteration below. Another feature from the elder futhark is the use of theansuzrune (ᚨ) which is here specifically used to symbolize a long nasal a, often transcribed as "á"which is similar but not identical to its Scandinavian descendant" å ". The last character in the runic text is damaged, but is clearly a
,and represents the first use of this rune for an 'm' in Denmark.[2]The text is arranged in two lines of different sizes. It has been suggested that this may have been done in imitation ofMerovingianorCarolingianmanuscripts, which have the first line in long slender characters with the following lines in shorter, stubbier text.[2]
The inscription states that Gunnvaldr is aÞulʀ,which signifies some office or rank, perhaps a priest or askald,compareOld Norseþulameaning "litany." It is related to the later NorseÞulr,a position described as being a wise man or sage associated withScandinavianchieftains and royalty. The translation offered by the Rundata project suggestsreciter.The location Salhaugar in the text has been identified as referring to the modern town Salløv, which was in the vicinity of the original site of the runestone.[3]The literal translation of the Old NorseSalhøgumcombinessal"hall" withhörgar"mounds," to form "on the hall mounds," suggesting a place with a room where official meetings took place.[4]
Inscription[edit]
ᚴᚢᚾ᛫ᚢᚼᛚᛏᛋ
kun'uAlts
Gunwalds
ᛐᚼᛁᚾ
stAin
sten,
ᛋᚢᚾᛅᛦ
sunaʀ
sonaʀ
ᚱᚢᚺᛅᛚᛏᛋ
ruHalts
Roalds,
᛫
ᚦᚢᛚᛅᛦ
þulaʀ
þulaʀ
᛫
ᚨ
o
á
ᛋᛅᛚᚺᛅᚢᚴᚢ
salHauku(m)
Salhøgum.
(transliteration)
Gunnvaldr's stone, Hróaldr's son, thyle of Salhaugar.[5]
Gallery[edit]
-
Detail ofswastikafound on the stone -
Detail of the interlaced horns -
Snoldelev interlaced horns design (illustration)
References[edit]
- ^abNielsen, Karl Martin (1974)."Raskstydning af Snoldelev-Indskriften"(PDF).Danske Studier(in Danish). Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag: 132–135.ISSN0106-4525.Retrieved8 July2011.
- ^abBirkmann, Thomas(1995). "Die Enstehung des Jüngeren Fuþark".Von Agedal Bis Malt.Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 204–205.ISBN3-11-014510-3.
- ^Peterson, Lena (2002).Nordisk runnamslexikonArchived2011-02-25 at theWayback Machine.Swedish Institute for Linguistics and Heritage (Institutet för språk och folkminnen).
- ^Sundqvist, Olof (2009). "The Hanging, the Nine Nights, and the" Precious Knowledge "".In Heizmann, Wilhelm; Beck, Heinrich (eds.).Analecta Septentrionalia.Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 660–661.ISBN978-3-11-021869-5.
- ^Project Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk-Rundataentry for DR 248.
External links[edit]
- Inscriptions from the second period (Viking period), 750-1025Archived2011-05-18 at theWayback Machine,presentation by Moltke