Eggjum Stone
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Eggja stone (also known as the Eggum or Eggjum stone), listed as N KJ101 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 grave stone with a
runic inscription A runic inscription is an inscription made in one of the various runic alphabets. They generally contained practical information or memorials instead of magic or mythic stories. The body of runic inscriptions falls into the three categories of E ...
that was ploughed up in 1917 on the farm Eggja in
Sogndal Sogndal is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Sogn. The village of Hermansv ...
, Nordre Bergenhus amt (now in
Vestland Vestland is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway. The county is located in Western Norway, and its administrative centre is Bergen, where the executive and political leadership is based. The County governor (Norway), County Governor is based in ...
county),
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
.


Description

The Eggja stone was found with the written side downwards over a man's grave (cf. the Kylver stone) which is dated to the period 650–700 C.E. The flat slab of stone is nowadays in Bergen Museum. Having as many as 200 runes, it is the longest known inscription in the
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 ...
, but certain runes are transitional towards the Younger Futhark. Many scholarly works have been written about the inscription, but only minor parts of the partially preserved inscription have received an accepted translation. It is generally agreed it is written in stylized poetry and in a partly metrical form containing a protection for the grave and the description of a funerary rite. However, there are widely diverging interpretations about certain details. There is also the image of a horse carved into the stone, but it does not appear to have any connection with the inscription.


Inscriptions


Transliteration

The following transcription mostly copies the graphic analysis provided by
Ottar Grønvik Ottar Nicolai Grønvik (21 October 1916 – 15 May 2008) was a Norwegian philologist and runologist. He was a lecturer from 1959 and associate professor from 1965 to 1986 at the University of Oslo. His doctoral thesis, which earned him the dr.p ...
(1985). Some of the individual characters are unclear, and other analyses may disagree with certain parts. (For example, Grønvik analyzed fokl as foki.) * Panel 1: :nissolusotuknisᴀksestᴀin :skorinni????mąʀnᴀkdąnisn?r?ʀ :niwiltiʀmąnʀlᴀgi?? *Panel 2: :hinwᴀrbnᴀseuwilʀmᴀdeþᴀim :kᴀibᴀibormoþᴀhunihuwᴀʀob :kąmhᴀr??ąhiąlątgotnᴀfiskʀ :oʀf???ᴀuimsuwimądefokl?f?ą :????gąląnde *Panel 3: :ᴀ???isurki


Translations

;Krause and Jankuhn (1966) Wolfgang Krause and Herbert Jankuhn, ''Die Runeninschriften im älteren Futhark'' (1966) offered the following interpretation: * Panel 1: :''Ni's sólu sótt ok ni saxe stæin skorinn. '' :''Ni (læggi) mannʀ nækðan, is niþ rinnʀ, '' :''Ni viltiʀ mænnʀ læggi ax.'' * Panel 2: :''Hin(n) varp *náséo mannʀ, máðe þæim kæipa í bormóþa húni. '' :''Huæaʀ of kam hæráss á hi á land gotna. '' :''Fiskʀ óʀ f(ir)na uim suim(m)ande, fogl á f??????? galande.'' * Panel 3: :''Alu misyrki'' Based on this reconstruction, the following translation is offered: * Panel 1: :"It is not touched by the sun and the stone is not scored by an
ron Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...
knife. No man may lay tbare, when the waning moon runs cross the heavens Misguided men may not lay he stoneaside. " The stone has been prepared in accordance with tradition; the stone is untouched by sunlight, and not cut with iron. It should not be uncovered during the waning moon, and should not be removed from its place. * Panel 2: :"The man sprinkled this
tone Tone may refer to: Visual arts and color-related * Tone (color theory), a mix of tint and shade, in painting and color theory * Tone (color), the lightness or brightness (as well as darkness) of a color * Toning (coin), color change in coins * ...
with corpse-sea (blood), with it he rubbed the tholes of the well drilled boat. As who came the army-god hither onto the land of warriors? A fish swimming out of the terrible stream, a bird screaming into the enemy band" Someone has stained this stone with blood ( kenned as ''corpse-sea''); perhaps as part of a sacrifice to facilitate the passage of the deceased or call on whatever power the inscription is addressed to. The ''heráss'' is the "god of armies" - a
psychopomp Psychopomps (from the Greek word , , literally meaning the 'guide of souls') are creatures, spirits, angels, demons, or deities in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls from Earth to the afterlife. Their role is ...
god (i.e. an early form of
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 ...
) who comes to the land of the living to take the deceased to an afterlife. * Panel 3: :"Protection against the wrong-doer" ;Grønvik (1985)
Ottar Grønvik Ottar Nicolai Grønvik (21 October 1916 – 15 May 2008) was a Norwegian philologist and runologist. He was a lecturer from 1959 and associate professor from 1965 to 1986 at the University of Oslo. His doctoral thesis, which earned him the dr.p ...
(1985) offers a more prosaic interpretation. Panel 3 above is relegated to the middle, as part B: :A1 ''(hiu þwer) hin warp naseu wilʀ made þaim kaiba i bormoþa huni'' :A2 ''huwaʀ ob kam harie a hit lat'' :A3 ''gotna fiskʀ oʀ firnauim suwimade foki af (f)a(nwan)ga lande'' :B ''a(i a)u is urki'' :C1 ''ni s solu sot uk ni sakse stain skorin'' :C2 ''ni (witi) maʀ nakdan is na wrinʀ ni wiltiʀ manʀ lagi(s)'' (Parenthesis denotes reconstructed or anticipated forms) The Old Norse equivalent is here said to be: :A1 ''Hjú þverr, hín varp násjó *Vill: máðe þeim keipa i bormóða húni.'' :A2 ''Hverr of kom her á hitt land?'' :A3 ''Gotna fiskr ór firney-ím, svimande foki af fán-vanga lande.'' :B ''Æ ey es yrki!'' :C1 ''Ne's sólu sótt, ok ne sakse, stein skorinn;'' :C2 ''ne víti maðr, nǫkðan es ná rinn, ne viltir menn, lægis!'' Translation: :A1 ''The household wanes, *Vil threw a death wave over those'' ::''The oarlocks wore out for, with the tired mast-top'' :A2 ''Who brought the horde to the land afar?'' :A3 ''The godly-fish from Firnøy’s streams'' ::''Swimming in the drift of the land of shining meadows.'' :B ''Be it of help, I work this.'' :C1 ''Not has the sun seen, nor the sword shorn, this stone,'' :C2 ''Do not seek who call forth the naked dead,'' ::''Nor wildly men, this bed of rest!'' According to this interpretation, A1 is a description of a shipwreck in bad weather. The mast seems to have broken, and the oars could not save them, as a mythical creature, *Vil (possibly the sea-god Aegir, or simply divine will,) casts a wave upon the boat. Parts A2, A3 and B explains the fate of the deceased. As A2 asks how they will get to the land beyond, A3 replies that a divine creature in the shape of a fish will lead them to the land of shining meadows. Part B prays that the work of the one writing this will help. ''Firney'' is probably not a place name, but possibly ''Fear-island'' or ''Far-island'', and a kenning for the realm of the dead. Part C1 says that the inscription was done at night, and not by using steel. This probably pertains to ancient grave-rituals, but the exact meaning is unclear. C2 issues warning directed at
necromancer Necromancy () is the practice of magic involving communication with the dead by summoning their spirits as apparitions or visions for the purpose of divination; imparting the means to foretell future events and discover hidden knowledge. ...
s and mad (or mentally ill) people to prevent them from desecrating the grave.


Meter

Panel 2 has been suggested to contain a stanza in the Galdralag meter, i.e.: :''Hvaʀ of kom hęráss á'' :''hí á land gotna?'' :''Fiskʀ óʀ f(ir)na-vim svim(m)ande,'' :''fogl á f(...) galande.'' :''Which harrier-god came'' :''here onto the land of men?'' :''A fish out of shocking wavering, swimming,'' :''a fowl, on f(...), crowing'' The inscription loosely follows the pattern of the
Merseburg Incantations The Merseburg charms, Merseburg spells, or Merseburg incantations () are two medieval magic spells, charms or incantations, written in Old High German. They are the only known examples of Germanic pagan belief preserved in the language. They were ...
, divided into two complementary parts, but where the Merseburger invokes a mythic event and calls for an exorcistic repetition, the Eggja composer seems to twice invoke a ritual, the first time listing two desired outcomes, in the second instance asking a question and answering it. Both inscriptions may represent some of the few remaining examples of pre-Christian ''ljoð'' or ''
galdr A (plural ') or (plural ) refers to a spell or incantation in Old Norse and Old English respectively; these were usually performed in combination with certain rites.The article ''Galder'' in ''Nationalencyklopedin'' (1992) Etymology and or ...
'', ritual verse chanted by the cult leaders, shamans or oracles of Norse Scandinavia.


In popular culture

Neo-folk band Heilung's songs Krigsgaldr and Hakkerskaldyr have lyrics from Grønvik's translation of the Eggja inscription. :''Min warb naseu'' :''Wilr made thaim'' :''I bormotha hauni '' :''Hu war (hu war)'' :''Hu war opkam har a hit lot'' :''Got nafiskr orf'' :''Auim suimade'' :''Foki afa galande '' :''Hu war (hu war)'' :''Hu war opkam har a hit lot''


See also

*
Alu (runic) The sequence ''alu'' () is found in numerous Elder Futhark runic inscriptions of Germanic Iron Age Scandinavia (and more rarely in early Anglo-Saxon England) between the 3rd and the 8th century. The word usually appears either alone (such as on t ...
*
List of runestones There are about 3,000 runestones in Scandinavia (out of a total of about 6,000 runic inscriptions). p. 38. The runestones are unevenly distributed in Scandinavia: The majority are found in Sweden, estimated at between 1,700 and 2,500 (depending ...


External links

*' by Yves Kodratoff
Photograph of inscription


References and notes


Other sources

*M. Olsen, 'Norges Indskrifter med de ældre Runer' (Christiania), Vol. III, pt. 2. *The article ''Eggjastenen'' in ''
Nationalencyklopedin (; "The National Encyclopedia" in English), abbreviated NE, is a comprehensive contemporary Swedish-language encyclopedia with several hundred thousand articles. It is available both online and via a printed version. History The project was ...
'' 1991. {{coord, 61.2395, N, 7.0524, E, source:wikidata, display=title Alu (runic) Runestones in Norway 7th-century inscriptions