Jelling stones

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Jelling stones

Jelling stones, with mound in background

The Jelling stones are massive carved Rune stones from the 10th century, found at the town of Jelling in Denmark.

The older of the two Jelling stones was raised by King Gorm the Old in memory of his wife Thyra. King Gorm was the first king of all of Denmark, and his lineage runs all the way to the current monarch, Queen Margrethe II, making the Danish royal family the oldest ruling dynasty in Europe.

The larger of the two stones was raised by King Gorm's son, Harald Bluetooth in memory of his parents. It celebrates his conquest of Denmark and Norway, and his conversion of the Danes to Christianity. (Harald's inscription, however, proved somewhat optimistic—Norway was lost within his lifetime.)

The stones lie in a Jelling churchyard between two large mounds. They represent the transitional period between the Nordic religion and Christianity, and are strongly identified with the creation of Denmark as a nation state.

1 Runestone of Gorm
2 Runestone of Harald Bluetooth
3 Citations
4 See also

[edit] Runestone of Gorm

Gorm's runestone, side A

Gorm's runestone, side B

The older and smaller of the runestones reads: "King Gormr made this monument in memory of Thyrvé, his wife, Denmark's salvation." (Rundata, DR 41) The Old Norse inscription in Younger Futhark runes appears as follows:

(side A) ᛬ ᚴᚢᚱᛘᛦ ᛬ ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛦ ᛬

᛬ ᚴ(ᛅᚱ)ᚦᛁ ᛬ ᚴᚢᛒᛚ ᛬ ᚦᚢᛋᛁ ᛬

᛬ ᛅ(ᚠᛏ) ᛬ ᚦᚢᚱᚢᛁ ᛬ ᚴᚢᚾᚢ

(side B) ᛬ ᛋᛁᚾᛅ ᛬ ᛏᛅᚾᛘᛅᚱᚴᛅᛦ ᛬ ᛒᚢᛏ ᛬

(side A) : kurmR : kunukR :

: k(ar)þi : kubl : þusi :

: a(ft) : þurui : kunu

(side B) | sina | tanmarkaR | but |

(Jacobsen & Moltke, 1941-42, DR 41)

[edit] Runestone of Harald Bluetooth

Harald's runestone, side A

The larger of the two runestones reads: "King Haraldr ordered this monument made in memory of Gormr, his father, and in memory of Thyrvé, his mother; that Haraldr who won for himself all of Denmark and Norway and made the Danes Christian." (Rundata, DR 42)

(side A) ᚼᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏᚱ ᛬ ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛦ ᛬ ᛒᛅᚦ ᛬ ᚴᛅᚢᚱᚢᛅ

ᚴᚢᛒᛚ ᛬ ᚦᛅᚢᛋᛁ ᛬ ᛅᚠᛏ ᛬ ᚴᚢᚱᛘ ᚠᛅᚦᚢᚱ ᛋᛁᚾ

ᛅᚢᚴ ᛅᚠᛏ ᛬ ᚦᚭᚢᚱᚢᛁ ᛬ ᛘᚢᚦᚢᚱ ᛬ ᛋᛁᚾᛅ ᛬ ᛋᛅ

ᚼᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏᚱ (᛬) ᛁᛅᛋ ᛬ ᛋᚭᛦ ᛫ ᚢᛅᚾ ᛫ ᛏᛅᚾᛘᛅᚢᚱᚴ

(side B) ᛅᛚᛅ ᛫ ᛅᚢᚴ ᛫ ᚾᚢᚱᚢᛁᛅᚴ

(side C) ᛫ ᛅᚢᚴ ᛫ ᛏ(ᛅ)ᚾᛁ (᛫ ᚴᛅᚱᚦᛁ ᛫) ᚴᚱᛁᛋᛏᚾᚭ

(side A) haraltr : kunukR : baþ : kaurua

kubl : þausi : aft : kurm faþur sin

auk aft : þąurui : muþur : sina : sa

haraltr (:) ias : sąR * uan * tanmaurk

(side B) ala * auk * nuruiak

(side C) * auk * t(a)ni (* karþi *) kristną

(Jacobsen & Moltke, 1941-42, DR 42)

The stone has a figure of Christ on one side and on another side a serpent wrapped around a lion. In 1955 a plaster cast of this stone was made for a festival in London. It is now located in the grounds of the Danish Church, 4 St Katherines Precinct, Regents Park, London. Unlike the original, the copy is painted in bright colours. A copy located in the National Museum of Denmark is also coloured.[1]

[edit] Citations

Rundata, Joint Nordic database for runic inscriptions.
Jacobsen, Lis, Erik Moltke (1941-42). Danmarks runeindskrifter. Copenhagen: Ejnar Munksgaards Forlag.