The Snoldelev Stone, listed as DR 248 in the
Rundata
The Scandinavian Runic-text Database () is a project involving the creation and maintenance of a database of transliterated runic inscriptions. The project's goal is to comprehensively catalog runestones in a machine-readable way for future resea ...
catalog, is a 9th-century
runestone
A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic alphabet, runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition of erecting runestones as a memorial to dead men began in the 4th centur ...
that was originally located at Snoldelev,
Ramsø
Ramsø was a municipality ( Danish '' kommune'') in the former Roskilde County on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in east Denmark until 1 January 2007. The municipality covered an area of and had a total population in 2005 of 9,320. Its las ...
,
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 ...
.
Description
The Snoldelev 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
The National Museum of Denmark (Nationalmuseet) in Copenhagen is Denmark, Denmark's largest museum of cultural history, comprising the histories of Danish and foreign cultures, alike. The museum's main building is located a short distance from S ...
in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
, Denmark. It is in height.
The stone is decorated with painted scratches depicting a design of three horns, possibly
drinking horn
A drinking horn is the horn (anatomy), horn of a bovid used as a cup. Drinking horns are known from Classical Antiquity, especially the Balkans. They remained in use for ceremonial purposes throughout the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period ...
s, interlaced into a triangle as incomplete
Borromean rings
In mathematics, the Borromean rings are three simple closed curves in three-dimensional space that are link (knot theory), topologically linked and cannot be separated from each other, but that break apart into two unknotted and unlinked loops wh ...
(similar to the
Diane de Poitiers
Diane de Poitiers (9 January 1500 – 25 April 1566) was a French noblewoman and courtier who wielded much power and influence as King Henry II of France, Henry II's Maîtresse-en-titre, royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position inc ...
three crescents emblem).
This symbol is also known from the Viking Age
picture stone
A picture stone, image stone or figure stone is an ornate slab of stone, usually limestone, which was raised in Germanic Iron Age or Viking Age Scandinavia, and in the greatest number on Gotland.The article ''Bildstenar'' in ''Nationalencyklopedi ...
from Lillbjärs on
Gotland
Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...
. It is not known if or how it is related to the similarly triangular ''
valknut'', which appears aside the interlaced horns on the Lillbjärs stone.
The inscription on the Snoldelev Stone shows an early version of the
Younger Futhark. Like the late
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 ...
Björketorp Runestone
The Björketorp Runestone (Rundata, DR 360 U) in Blekinge, Sweden.
It is one of the world's tallest runestones measuring 4.2 metres in height.
Inscription
The runes were made in the 6th or the 7th century and in Proto-Norse language, Proto-Norse ...
, 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 a capital A below. The Snoldelev runestone also retains the elder futhark
haglaz
*Haglaz or *Hagalaz is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the ''h''-rune , meaning "hail" (the precipitation).
In the Anglo-Saxon runes, Anglo-Saxon futhorc, it is continued as ''hægl'', and, in the Younger Futhark, as ''hagall''. The ...
rune () for the h-phoneme
and this is represented by capital H in the transliteration below. Another feature from the elder futhark is the use of the
ansuz rune (ᚨ) which is here specifically used to symbolize a long nasal a, often transcribed as
á which is similar but not identical to its Scandinavian descendant "å". The last character in the runic text is damaged, but is clearly a
10px, and represents the first use of this rune for an 'm' in Denmark.
[
] The text is arranged in two lines of different sizes. It has been suggested that this may have been done in imitation of
Merovingian
The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...
or
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...
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 ''Þulʀ'', which signifies some office or rank, perhaps a priest or a
skald
A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry in alliterative verse, the other being Eddic poetry. Skaldic poems were traditionally compo ...
, compare
Old Norse
Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
''þula'' meaning "litany." It is related to the later Norse ''
Þulr'', a position described as being a wise man or sage associated with
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 ...
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.
Inscription
Gallery
Image:Snoldelevsunwheel.jpg, Detail of swastika
The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...
found on the stone
Image:Snoldelevhorns.JPG, Detail of the interlaced horns
Image:Snoldelev-three-interlaced-horns.svg, Snoldelev interlaced horns design (illustration)
References
Further reading
*
External links
*, presentation by Moltke
{{coord, 55, 34, 18, N, 12, 07, 17, E, region:DK-84_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title
Runestones in Denmark
Swastika
9th-century artifacts
Archaeological discoveries in Denmark
18th-century archaeological discoveries