Snoldelev Stone
Encyclopedia
The Snoldelev Stone, listed as DR 248 in the Rundata
catalog, is a 9th century runestone that was originally located at Snoldelev, Ramsø
, Denmark
.
s interlocking as incomplete Borromean rings
(similar to the Diane de Poitiers
three crescents emblem), and a swastika
. The triple horn motif has been compared to a triskelion
, or to the valknut
symbol. The stone was first noted in 1810, and was turned over to the national Antiquities Commission in 1811. The runestone is now housed at the National Museum of Denmark
in Copenhagen
, Denmark.
The inscription on the Snoldelev Stone shows an early version of the Younger Futhark
. Like the late Elder Futhark
Björketorp Runestone
, it uses an a-rune
which has the same form as the h-rune has in the long-branch version of the younger futhark. This a-rune is transliterated with capital A below. The Snoldelev runestone also retains the elder futhark haglaz
rune (
) for the h-phoneme and this is represented by capital H in the transliteration below. The last character in the runic text is damaged, but is clearly a , and represents the first use of this rune for an 'm' in Denmark. The text is arranged in two lines of different size. It has been suggested that this may have been done in imitation of Merovingian
or Carolingian manuscripts, which have the first line in long slender characters with the following lines in shorter, stubbier text.
The inscription states that Gunnvaldr is a ÞulR, which signifies some office or rank, perhaps a priest or a skald
, compare Old Norse
þula meaning "litany." It is related to the later Norse Þulr
, a position described as being a wise man or sage associated with Scandinavia
n chieftains and royalty. The translation offered by the Rundata project suggests reciter. The location Salhaugar in the text has been identified as referring to the modern town Salløv, which was in the vicinity of the original site of the runestone. The literal translation of the Old Norse Salhøgum combines sal "hall" with hörgar
"mounds," to form "on the hall mounds," suggesting a place with a room where official meetings took place.
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 9th century runestone that was originally located at Snoldelev, Ramsø
Ramsø
Until January 1, 2007 Ramsø was a municipality in the former Roskilde County on the island of Zealand in east Denmark. The municipality covered an area of 76 km², and had a total population of 9,320 . Its last mayor was Poul Lindor Nielsen, a member of the Social Democrats political party...
, 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...
.
Description
The Snoldelev Stone, which is 1.25 meters in height, is decorated with a design of three drinking hornDrinking horn
A drinking horn is the horn of a bovid used as a drinking vessel. Drinking horns are known from Classical Antiquity especially in Thrace and the Balkans, and remained in use for ceremonial purposes throughout the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period in some parts of Europe, notably in Germanic...
s interlocking as incomplete Borromean rings
Borromean rings
In mathematics, the Borromean rings consist of three topological circles which are linked and form a Brunnian link, i.e., removing any ring results in two unlinked rings.- Mathematical properties :...
(similar to the Diane de Poitiers
Diane de Poitiers
Diane de Poitiers was a French noblewoman and a prominent courtier at the courts of kings Francis I and his son, Henry II of France. She became notorious as the latter's favourite mistress...
three crescents emblem), and a swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
. The triple horn motif has been compared to a triskelion
Triskelion
A triskelion or triskele is a motif consisting of three interlocked spirals, or three bent human legs, or any similar symbol with three protrusions and a threefold rotational symmetry. Both words are from Greek or , "three-legged", from prefix "τρι-" , "three times" + "σκέλος" , "leg"...
, or to the valknut
Valknut
The Valknut is a symbol consisting of three interlocked triangles, and appears on various Germanic objects. A number of theories have been proposed for its significance....
symbol. The stone was first noted in 1810, and was turned over to the national Antiquities Commission in 1811. The runestone is now housed at the National Museum of Denmark
National Museum of Denmark
The National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen is Denmark’s largest museum of cultural history, comprising the histories of Danish and foreign cultures, alike. The museum's main domicile is located a short distance from Strøget at the center of Copenhagen. It contains exhibits from around the world,...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark.
The inscription on the Snoldelev Stone shows an early version of the 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...
. Like the late Elder Futhark
Elder 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...
Björketorp Runestone
Björketorp Runestone
The Björketorp Runestone in Blekinge, Sweden, is part of a grave field which includes menhirs, both solitary and forming stone circles....
, it uses an a-rune
which has the same form as the h-rune has in the long-branch version of the younger futhark. This a-rune is transliterated with capital A below. The Snoldelev runestone also retains the elder futhark haglazHaglaz
*Haglaz or *Hagalaz is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the h-rune , meaning "hail" .In the Anglo-Saxon futhorc, it is continued as haegl and in the Younger Futhark as hagall The corresponding Gothic letter is h, named hagl.The Elder Futhark letter has two variants, single-barred and...
rune (
) for the h-phoneme and this is represented by capital H in the transliteration below. The last character in the runic text is damaged, but is clearly a , and represents the first use of this rune for an 'm' in Denmark. The text is arranged in two lines of different size. It has been suggested that this may have been done in imitation of MerovingianMerovingian dynasty
The Merovingians were a Salian Frankish dynasty that came to rule the Franks in a region largely corresponding to ancient Gaul from the middle of the 5th century. Their politics involved frequent civil warfare among branches of the family...
or Carolingian manuscripts, which have the first line in long slender characters with the following lines in shorter, stubbier text.
The inscription states that Gunnvaldr is a ÞulR, which signifies some office or rank, perhaps a priest or a skald
Skald
The skald was a member of a group of poets, whose courtly poetry is associated with the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic leaders during the Viking Age, who composed and performed renditions of aspects of what we now characterise as Old Norse poetry .The most prevalent metre of skaldic poetry is...
, compare 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....
þula meaning "litany." It is related to the later Norse Þulr
Thyle
A Thyle, was a position of the court associated with Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon royalty and chieftains in the Early Middle Ages with the duty of determining truth of public statements.. Most literary references are found in Icelandic and Anglo-Saxon literature like the Hávamál, where Odin...
, a position described as being a wise man or sage associated with 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,...
n chieftains and royalty. The translation offered by the Rundata project suggests reciter. The location Salhaugar in the text has been identified as referring to the modern town Salløv, which was in the vicinity of the original site of the runestone. The literal translation of the Old Norse Salhøgum combines sal "hall" with hörgar
Hörgr
A hörgr or hearg was a type of religious building or altar possibly consisting of a heap of stones, used in Norse paganism...
"mounds," to form "on the hall mounds," suggesting a place with a room where official meetings took place.
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- kun'uAlts| |stAin ' sunaR ' ruHalts ' þulaR ' o salHauku(m)
Transcription into Old Norse
- Gunwalds sten, sonaR Roalds, þulaR a Salhøgum.
External links
- Inscriptions from the second period (Viking period), 750-1025, presentation by Moltke