Kingittorsuaq Runestone

Kingittorsuaq Runestone
Rundata ID GR 1 M
Country Greenland
Produced Middle Ages
Runemaster Unknown
Text – Native
Erlingr Sighvats sonr ok Bjarni Þórðar sonr ok Eindriði Odds sonr laugardagin fyrir gagndag hlóðu varða þe[ssa] ok ... ...
Text – English
Erling Sigvatsson, Bjarne Thordarson and Enride Oddson Saturday before gangdag (April 25th) made these stone cairns
Other resources
Runestones – Runic alphabet
Runology – Runestone styles

The Kingittorsuaq Runestone (old spelling: Kingigtorssuaq), listed as GR 1 in the Rundata catalog, is a runestone that was found on Kingittorsuaq Island, an island in the Upernavik Archipelago in northwestern Greenland.

Description

The Kingittorsuaq Runestone was found in 1824 in a group of three cairns that formed an equilateral triangle on top of the mountain on a small Kingittorsuaq Island in the south-central part of the Upernavik Archipelago. The stone is now located at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.

The stone has been dated to the Middle Ages. The Catholic Encyclopedia states the date as April 25, 1135. William Thalbitzer dates the stone to 1314 using pentadic numerals. Others have dated the stone between 1250 and 1333.[1]

The last part of the runic inscription is not transcribed as it apparently is a group of meaningless characters, which some believe contains a secret message.[1]

Inscription

The Latin transliteration of the text on the runestone is

: ÷ el=likr * sikuaþs : so=n:r * ok * baan=ne : torta=r son : ¶ ÷ ok enriþi * os son : laukardak*in : fyrir * gakndag ¶ hloþu * ua=rda te * ok rydu : ??????[2]

The old Norse transcription is

Erlingur Sigvaðs sonur og baarne Þorðarson og enriði ás son, laugardagin fyrir gakndag hloðu varða thessa og ryðu..

The English translation is

Erlingur the son of Sigvaths and Baarne Thordars son and Enriði Ás son, Washingday (Saturday) before Rogation Day, raised this mound and rode...

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Enterline, James Robert (2002). Erikson, Eskimos & Columbus: Medieval European Knowledge of America. Center for American Places (illustrated ed.). JHU Press. pp. 127–129. ISBN 0-8018-6660-X. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
  2. ↑ Project Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk - Rundata entry for GR 1.

Other sources

Coordinates: 55°40′30″N 12°34′30″E / 55.6750°N 12.5751°E / 55.6750; 12.5751

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