Bryggen inscriptions
Encyclopedia
The Bryggen inscriptions are a find of some 670 medieval runic
inscriptions on wood (mostly pine
) and bone found from 1955 and forth at Bryggen
(and its surroundings) in Bergen, Norway
. It has been called the most important runic find in the twentieth century. Before the find of these inscriptions, there was doubt whether the runes were ever used for anything else than inscriptions of names and solemn phrases. The Bryggen find showed the everyday use that runes had in this area, and presumably in other parts of Scandinavia
as well. Another important aspect of the find was that many of the inscriptions were obviously at least as young as the 14th century. Previously it was believed that the use of runes in Norway had died out long before. Since these findings, many more runic inscriptions of this type have been found in Norway.
The inscriptions have numbers for Bergen finds, mostly "B" followed by three figures.
Many of the inscriptions follow the formula Eysteinn á mik, (Eysteinn owns me, B001), and were most likely used as markers of property - like modern day name tags. Some contain short messages of different types, such as Ást min, kyss mik (my darling, kiss me, B017) and others have longer messages such as business letters and orders. Yet others contain short religious inscriptions, often in Latin
, such as Rex Judæorum In nomine Patris Nazarenus (B005) and may have been intended as amulets.
The inscriptions are currently kept at Bryggens Museum
in Bergen. A small number of them are on display.
Medieval runes
The medieval runes, or the futhork, was a Scandinavian 27 letter runic alphabet that evolved from the Younger Futhark after the introduction of dotted runes at the end of the Viking Age and it was fully formed in the early 13th century...
inscriptions on wood (mostly pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
) and bone found from 1955 and forth at Bryggen
Bryggen
Bryggen , also known as Tyskebryggen is a series of Hanseatic commercial buildings lining the eastern side of the fjord coming into Bergen, Norway. Bryggen has since 1979 been on the UNESCO list for World Cultural Heritage sites. The name has the same origin as the Flemish city of Brugge.The city...
(and its surroundings) in Bergen, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It has been called the most important runic find in the twentieth century. Before the find of these inscriptions, there was doubt whether the runes were ever used for anything else than inscriptions of names and solemn phrases. The Bryggen find showed the everyday use that runes had in this area, and presumably in other parts of Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
as well. Another important aspect of the find was that many of the inscriptions were obviously at least as young as the 14th century. Previously it was believed that the use of runes in Norway had died out long before. Since these findings, many more runic inscriptions of this type have been found in Norway.
The inscriptions have numbers for Bergen finds, mostly "B" followed by three figures.
Many of the inscriptions follow the formula Eysteinn á mik, (Eysteinn owns me, B001), and were most likely used as markers of property - like modern day name tags. Some contain short messages of different types, such as Ást min, kyss mik (my darling, kiss me, B017) and others have longer messages such as business letters and orders. Yet others contain short religious inscriptions, often in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, such as Rex Judæorum In nomine Patris Nazarenus (B005) and may have been intended as amulets.
The inscriptions are currently kept at Bryggens Museum
Bryggens Museum
Bryggens Museum was built in 1976. The architect behind the work was Øivind Maurseth, who also designed the SAS hotel nearby. The museum was built on the site of a fire that occurred in Bryggen in Bergen, Norway in 1955....
in Bergen. A small number of them are on display.
Examples found at Bryggen or nearby
| B # | Transcribed Text | Normalized Text | English translation | Object inscribed | External image links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B001 | øystein:ami hærmaþr haæþrmþr hærmaþr maria |
Eysteinn á mi[k] Herrmaðr Herrmaðr Herrmaðr Maria. |
Eystein owns me warrior warrior warrior Maria |
Runekjevle | Image Image |
| B003 | auema | Ave Maria Ave Maria Ave Maria may refer to:*Ave Maria , the "Hail Mary", a traditional Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox prayer calling for the intercession of Mary, the mother of Jesus-Music:... |
Hail Mary (Latin text) | Wooden plate | Image Image |
| B004 | io(an)a | Jóhann á | Johan owns | Skull of walrus | Image Image |
| B005 | rexiudeorum innomini patrisnazarenus | Rex Judæorum In nomine Patris Nazarenus | King of the Jews in the name of the Father of Nazareth (in Latin) | Part of a small wooden cross | Image |
| B006 | benatit a g l a la lagla [.](ln)bastii marhret. a g la ag l a ba. flkarel bar(aþ)olis | Wooden cross | Image | ||
| B007 | a(ue)m(ar)ia | Ave Maria | Hail Mary (in Latin) | Bottom piece of a wooden bowl | Image |
| B008 | ly(an)þkat(af)mn(un)æruþkit | Shoe | Image | ||
| B009 | 3/1 3/2 3/3 3/4 3/5 = fuþor þbiss |
Fuþor | Fuþor | Cane | Image |
| B010 | tar | ||||
| B010 | elleg er fuþ sin bylli fuþorglbasm |
Ferligr er fuð sinn byrli Fuðorglbasm. |
Flat wooden stick | Image Image | |
| B012 | inra | ...inr á | ...in owns | Flat wooden stick | Image |
| B013 | mikæl petr ioanes andres lafranz tomas olafr klemet nikulas allerhælger mengiætaimin notouk dahilfsminsouk salokuþsemikoksihnikuÞkifiosbyrokkafomarih[..[lbemer ethialbemerallegzhlkarh[...] |
Mikjáll, Pétr, Jóanes, Andreas, Lafranz, Thomas, Ólafr, Klemetr, Nikulás. Allir helgir menn, gæti mín nótt ok dag, lífs míns ok sálu. Guð sé mik ok signi. Guð gefi oss byr ok gáfu Mariu. H{já}lpi mér Klemetr, hjalpi mér allir Guðs helgir (menn) |
Michael, Peter, John, Andrew, Lawrence, Thomas, Olaf, Clement, Nicholas. All saints, guard me night and day, my life and soul. God see me and bless. God give us ... and Mary's gifts. Help me Clement, help me all God's saints. | Flat wooden stick, with a hole at the end. | Image |
| B014 | d(el)us | deus | god (in Latin) | Piece of wood, shaped into a narrow cross. | Image Image |
| B015 | iuairfuþo | .....fuþo | ...fuþo | Wood stick. | Image |
| B016 | a | Piece of wood | Image Image | ||
| B017 | ost min kis mik fuþorkhniastbmly |
Ást min, kyss mik Fuþorkhniastbmly |
My love, kiss me Fuþorkhniastbmly (Younger futhark Younger Futhark The Younger Futhark, also called Scandinavian runes, is a runic alphabet, a reduced form of the Elder Futhark, consisting of only 16 characters, in use from ca. 800 CE... alphabet) |
Wooden stick | Image Image |
| B018 | þr:inliossa:log:rostirriþatbiþa:(aþ) yþænþuæt[-]nuka:ældiriþsu(an)ahiþar: s(au)dælakumlynhuit(an)ha[--]klko lotak(ol)ahbohas(ol)ar:fiartar:tahs[--] [...]kuiþi þækanukabækiiar |
Piece of wood | Image Image Image Image | ||
| B019 | yakæyrfiar rakæyrfiar |
Squared broken wood piece | Image | ||
| B020 | blm[- fuþorkhniastblmy |
blm[- Fuþorkhniastblmy |
Fuþorkhniastblmy (Younger futhark Younger Futhark The Younger Futhark, also called Scandinavian runes, is a runic alphabet, a reduced form of the Elder Futhark, consisting of only 16 characters, in use from ca. 800 CE... alphabet) |
Smoothed piece of wood | Image Image |
| B149 | kya: sæhir : atþu: kakhæim: þ(an)sak: (ab)akist(an): rþis | Gyða segir at þú gakk heim | Gyða tells you to go home | Wooden stick | Image |
