Laeborg Runestone
Encyclopedia
The Læborg or Laeborg Runestone, listed as DR 26 in the Rundata
catalog, is a Viking Age
memorial
runestone located outside of the village hall or Forsamlinghus in Læborg, which is about 3 kilometers north of Vejen
, Denmark
. The stone includes two depictions of the hammer of the Norse pagan
god Thor
.
written in boustrophedon
fashion on the granite stone, which is 2.36 meters in height. After each line is a depiction of a hammer, which has been interpreted as being Thor's hammer Mjöllnir. Thor's hammer was used on several memorial runestones in Sweden and Denmark, perhaps as a parallel to or a pagan
reaction to the use of the cross
by Christians. Other surviving runestones or inscriptions depicting Thor's hammer include runestones U 1161
in Altuna, Sö 86
in Åby, Sö 111
in Stenkvista, Sö 140 in Jursta, Vg 113
in Bjärby, Öl 1
in Karlevi, DR 48
in Skjern, DR 120 in Spentrup, and DR 331 in Gårdstånga
. The depiction of the hammers on DR 26 are very similar to the hammer on DR 48. The inscription is classified as being carved in runestone style RAK, which is considered to be the oldest style. This is the classification for runic text bands with straight ends that do not have any attached serpent or beast heads. The stone was noted by Ole Worm
as having been discovered around 1638 in a field north of Læborg. A portion of the top of the stone is damaged. A small fragment of the stone was discovered in 1888 and is inserted into the top of the B line of the text.
The runic text states that the stone was raised by a man named Tófi in memory of a woman named Þyrvé, which is normalized
as Thyrve and sometimes as Thorvi. Thyrve is described as being his trutnik, a word meaning the wife or descendent of a trutin or "lord," which is transcribed
into Old Norse
as drotning and often translated as "lady." This same word is also used on DR 134 in Ravnkilde and translated as "lady." Tófi and Thyrve are also associated with Danish runestone DR 29 in Bække, which records that Tófi created a mound in honor of Thyrve, and DR 40 in Randbøl is a stone raised by Tófi in memory of his assistant named Þorgunnr. Thyrve was a common name of the period, and a different woman of that name is recorded on the Danish runestone DR 97 in Ålum. Because DR 26 is dated based upon stylistic and linguistic analysis from 900 to 950 C.E., it may also be possible that the Thyrve of DR 26 might also be the same woman that is recorded on DR 41
and DR 42
in Jelling, which describe a Thyra
who is the wife of king Gorm the Old
. If these Thyrve are the same woman, then the runestones may be a record of a dispute regarding inheritance between two competing Danish families. However, most scholars believe that it is more likely that DR 26 along with DR 29 refer to a different woman with the same name than the Thyra noted on the Jelling Stones DR 41 and DR 42.
The stone is known locally as the Læborgsten.
Rundata
The Scandinavian Runic-text Data Base is a project involving the creation and maintenance of a database of runic inscriptions. The project's goal is to comprehensively catalog runestones in a machine-readable way for future research...
catalog, is a Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
memorial
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
runestone located outside of the village hall or Forsamlinghus in Læborg, which is about 3 kilometers north of Vejen
Vejen
Vejen Municipality is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark on the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 817 km², and has a total population of 42,447...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. The stone includes two depictions of the hammer of the Norse pagan
Norse paganism
Norse paganism is the religious traditions of the Norsemen, a Germanic people living in the Nordic countries. Norse paganism is therefore a subset of Germanic paganism, which was practiced in the lands inhabited by the Germanic tribes across most of Northern and Central Europe in the Viking Age...
god Thor
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
.
Description
The inscription on DR 26 consists of two lines of runic text designated as lines A and B in the younger futharkYounger 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...
written in boustrophedon
Boustrophedon
Boustrophedon , is a type of bi-directional text, mostly seen in ancient manuscripts and other inscriptions. Every other line of writing is flipped or reversed, with reversed letters. Rather than going left-to-right as in modern English, or right-to-left as in Arabic and Hebrew, alternate lines in...
fashion on the granite stone, which is 2.36 meters in height. After each line is a depiction of a hammer, which has been interpreted as being Thor's hammer Mjöllnir. Thor's hammer was used on several memorial runestones in Sweden and Denmark, perhaps as a parallel to or a pagan
Norse paganism
Norse paganism is the religious traditions of the Norsemen, a Germanic people living in the Nordic countries. Norse paganism is therefore a subset of Germanic paganism, which was practiced in the lands inhabited by the Germanic tribes across most of Northern and Central Europe in the Viking Age...
reaction to the use of the cross
Christian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
by Christians. Other surviving runestones or inscriptions depicting Thor's hammer include runestones U 1161
Altuna Runestone
The Altuna Runestone , listed as U 1161 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone with images from Norse mythology that is located in Altuna, Uppland, Sweden.- Description :...
in Altuna, Sö 86
Södermanland Runic Inscription 86
thumb|300px|right|A drawing of runic inscription Sö 86 published in 1876.Sö 86 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runic inscription located in Åby, Södermanland, Sweden...
in Åby, Sö 111
Stenkvista runestone
thumb|250px|right|The Stenkvista runestone in Södermanland, Sweden, with its Thor's hammer.The Stenkvista runestone, designated as runic inscription Sö 111 in the Rundata catalog, is a memorial runestone located near the church at Stenkvista, which is two kilometers east of Skogstorp, Södermanland...
in Stenkvista, Sö 140 in Jursta, Vg 113
Bjärby Runestones
The Bjärby Runestones are two Viking Age memorial runestones located near Grästorp, Sweden, in Bjärby synod, which was in the historic province of Västergötland...
in Bjärby, Öl 1
Karlevi Runestone
The Karlevi Runestone, designated as Öl 1 by Rundata, is commonly dated to the late 10th century and located near the Kalmarsund straight in Karlevi on the island of Öland, Sweden...
in Karlevi, DR 48
Danish Runic Inscription 48
Danish Runic Inscription 48 or DR 48 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone from Hanning, which is about eight kilometers north of Skjern, Denmark...
in Skjern, DR 120 in Spentrup, and DR 331 in Gårdstånga
Gårdstånga
Gårdstånga is a locality situated in Eslöv Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 339 inhabitants in 2005. Route E66 ran straight through the village until 1984 when the road routed was outside the community....
. The depiction of the hammers on DR 26 are very similar to the hammer on DR 48. The inscription is classified as being carved in runestone style RAK, which is considered to be the oldest style. This is the classification for runic text bands with straight ends that do not have any attached serpent or beast heads. The stone was noted by Ole Worm
Ole Worm
Ole Worm , who often went by the Latinized form of his name Olaus Wormius, was a Danish physician and antiquary.-Life:...
as having been discovered around 1638 in a field north of Læborg. A portion of the top of the stone is damaged. A small fragment of the stone was discovered in 1888 and is inserted into the top of the B line of the text.
The runic text states that the stone was raised by a man named Tófi in memory of a woman named Þyrvé, which is normalized
Old Norse orthography
The orthography of the Old Norse language was diverse, being written in both Runic and Latin alphabets, with many spelling conventions, variant letterforms, and unique letters and signs. In modern times, scholars established a standardized spelling for the language. When Old Norse names are used in...
as Thyrve and sometimes as Thorvi. Thyrve is described as being his trutnik, a word meaning the wife or descendent of a trutin or "lord," which is transcribed
Runic transliteration and transcription
Runic transliteration and transcription are part of analysing a runic inscription which involves transliteration of the runes into Latin letters, transcription into a normalized spelling in the language of the inscription, and translation of the inscription into a modern language...
into Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
as drotning and often translated as "lady." This same word is also used on DR 134 in Ravnkilde and translated as "lady." Tófi and Thyrve are also associated with Danish runestone DR 29 in Bække, which records that Tófi created a mound in honor of Thyrve, and DR 40 in Randbøl is a stone raised by Tófi in memory of his assistant named Þorgunnr. Thyrve was a common name of the period, and a different woman of that name is recorded on the Danish runestone DR 97 in Ålum. Because DR 26 is dated based upon stylistic and linguistic analysis from 900 to 950 C.E., it may also be possible that the Thyrve of DR 26 might also be the same woman that is recorded on DR 41
Jelling stones
The Jelling stones are massive carved runestones 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...
and DR 42
Jelling stones
The Jelling stones are massive carved runestones 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...
in Jelling, which describe a Thyra
Thyra
Thyra was the consort of King Gorm the Old of Denmark. She is believed to have led an army against the Germans. Gorm and Thyra were the parents of King Harald Bluetooth....
who is the wife of king Gorm the Old
Gorm the Old
Gorm the Old , also called Gorm the Sleepy , was the first historically recognized King of Denmark, reigning from to his death . He ruled from Jelling, and made the oldest of the Jelling Stones in honour of his wife Thyra. Gorm was born before 900 and died .-Ancestry and reign:Gorm is the reported...
. If these Thyrve are the same woman, then the runestones may be a record of a dispute regarding inheritance between two competing Danish families. However, most scholars believe that it is more likely that DR 26 along with DR 29 refer to a different woman with the same name than the Thyra noted on the Jelling Stones DR 41 and DR 42.
The stone is known locally as the Læborgsten.
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- A rhafnukatufi ÷ hiau ÷ runaR : þasi aft
- B þurui ÷ trutnik : sina
Transcription into Old Norse
- A Rafnunga-Tofi hio runaR þæssi æft
- B Þorwi, drotning sina.
Translation in English
- A Tófi, of Hrafn's lineage, cut these runes in memory of
- B Þyrvé, his lady.
