Seeland-II-C (

Sjælland Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020, comprising ...

bracteate 2) is a

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

bracteate A bracteate (from the Latin ''bractea'', a thin piece of metal) is a flat, thin, single-sided gold medal worn as jewelry that was produced in Northern Europe predominantly during the Migration Period of the Germanic Iron Age (including the Ven ...

from

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, that has been dated to the

Migration period The Migration Period ( 300 to 600 AD), also known as the Barbarian Invasions, was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories ...

(around 500 AD). The bracteate bears an

Elder Futhark The Elder Futhark (or Fuþark, ), also known as the Older Futhark, Old Futhark, or Germanic Futhark, is the oldest form of the runic alphabets. It was a writing system used by Germanic peoples for Northwest Germanic dialects in the Migration Per ...

inscription which reads as: The final ttt is a triple- stacked Tiwaz rune. This use of the rune is often interpreted as three

invocation Invocation is the act of calling upon a deity, spirit, or supernatural force, typically through prayer, ritual, or spoken formula, to seek guidance, assistance, or presence. It is a practice found in numerous religious, spiritual, and esote ...

s of the Norse pagan god Tyr. The central image shows a male's head above a quadruped. This is the defining characteristic of C-bracteates (of which some 400 specimens survive), and is often interpreted as a depiction of the god

Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...

, healing his horse. Wolfgang Krause translates the inscription as: "Hariuha I am called: the dangerous knowledgeable one: I give chance."Krause, W. (1971). ''Die Sprache der Urnordischen Runeninschriften''. . ''farauisa'' is interpreted as ''fara-uisa'', either "danger-wise" or "travel-wise". Erik Moltke translates this word as "one who is wise about dangers". Moltke, Erik (1976). ''Runerne i Danmark og deres Oprindelse''. . Published in English as ''Runes and their Origin: Denmark and Elsewhere''. The giving of "chance" or "luck" in the inscription is evidence of the use of bracteates as

amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word , which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects a perso ...

s. The inscription ''*hariuha'' is suggested to contain the Germanic noun ''*harja'', meaning "army, troop" - a common occurrence in Germanic compound names.

References

External links

*Kodratoff, Yves. (Transcriptions with interpretations by Krause, Moltke, Antonsen and the author; see {{usurped,
Runic Inscriptions from the Second Period
} no. 81). Archaeological discoveries in Denmark Bracteates Individual items of jewellery Proto-Norse language Elder Futhark inscriptions 6th-century artifacts

See also

References

External links