Einang stone
Encyclopedia
The Einang stone is a runestone located near Fagernes
, Norway
, notable for the age of its runic inscription.
inscription in Proto-Norse that has been dated to the 4th century. It is the oldest runestone still standing at its original location, and it may be the earliest inscription to mention the word runo, "rune
." Here the word appears in the singular. Additionally, the verb used in the inscription for the act of inscribing is faihido, which literally means "painted." This may mean that the inscription was originally highlighted with paint.
The Einang runestone is located within the Gardberg site
. It is placed on a grave mound on a ridge overlooking the Valdres
valley. There are several others grave mounds nearby. Today it is protected by glass walls and a roof.
The generally accepted reading of the inscription was proposed by Erik Moltke
in 1938. He conjectured that there had been four runes in the original inscription, before the first rune which is visible today. The reading is:
Which translates as:
As the stone is placed on a grave mound, it is natural to interpret it as a tombstone. Why the inscription does not name the buried person, but only the carver of the runes, remains an open question.
Fagernes
is the largest settlement in the valley of Valdres, Norway, with a population of 1,801. Fagernes is the administrative centre of the municipality of Nord-Aurdal.See video from the Fagernes Town : *...
, 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...
, notable for the age of its runic inscription.
Description
The Einang stone bears an Elder FutharkElder Futhark
The Elder Futhark is the oldest form of the runic alphabet, used by Germanic tribes for Northwest Germanic and Migration period Germanic dialects of the 2nd to 8th centuries for inscriptions on artifacts such as jewellery, amulets, tools, weapons and runestones...
inscription in Proto-Norse that has been dated to the 4th century. It is the oldest runestone still standing at its original location, and it may be the earliest inscription to mention the word runo, "rune
Runic alphabet
The runic alphabets are a set of related alphabets using letters known as runes to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet and for specialized purposes thereafter...
." Here the word appears in the singular. Additionally, the verb used in the inscription for the act of inscribing is faihido, which literally means "painted." This may mean that the inscription was originally highlighted with paint.
The Einang runestone is located within the Gardberg site
Gardberg site
The Gardberg site is an archaeological site in Vestre Slidre, Oppland, Norway. The site consists of several burial cairns and clearance cairns as well as areas of early industry and farming. Investigations have established that the site was in use from the Stone Age to modern times. The Einang...
. It is placed on a grave mound on a ridge overlooking the Valdres
Valdres
Valdres is a traditional district in central, southern Norway, situated between Gudbrandsdal and Hallingdal.Administratively, Valdres belongs to Oppland. It consists of the municipalities Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre Slidre, Vang and Etnedal. The main town in the region is...
valley. There are several others grave mounds nearby. Today it is protected by glass walls and a roof.
Inscription
Erik Moltke
Erik Moltke was a runologist, writer, editor. Through his leadership the Runologist Section of the National Museum of Denmark became a world centre for the scientific study of runology c.1942 CE....
in 1938. He conjectured that there had been four runes in the original inscription, before the first rune which is visible today. The reading is:
- (Ek go)ðagastiR runo faihido
Which translates as:
- (I, Go)dguest painted/wrote this runic inscription.
As the stone is placed on a grave mound, it is natural to interpret it as a tombstone. Why the inscription does not name the buried person, but only the carver of the runes, remains an open question.