Jelling stones
Runestones in Jelling, Denmark
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The runic inscriptions on these stones are considered the best known in Denmark. In 1994, the stones, in addition to the burial mounds and small church nearby, were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as an unparalleled example of both pagan and Christian Nordic culture.
Significance
The stones are strongly identified with the creation of Denmark as a kingdom. Both inscriptions mention the name "Danmark" (in the form of accusative "tanmaurk" () on the large stone, and genitive "tanmarkar" (pronounced ) on the small stone).
The larger stone explicitly mentions the conversion of Denmark from Norse paganism and the process of Christianisation, alongside a depiction of the crucified Christ; it is therefore popularly dubbed "Denmark's baptismal certificate" (Danmarks dåbsattest), an expression coined by art historian Rudolf Broby-Johansen in the 1930s. In 1997 a photo of this stone inspired the name Bluetooth for the wireless technology.
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Recent history
After having been exposed to the elements for a thousand years, cracks were beginning to show. In November 2008, experts from UNESCO examined the stones to determine their condition. Experts requested that the stones be moved to an indoor exhibition hall, or in some other way protected in situ, to prevent further damage from the weather.
In February 2011, the site was vandalized using green spray paint, with the word "GELWANE" written on both sides of the larger stone, and with identical graffiti sprayed on a nearby gravestone and on the church door. After much speculation about the possible meaning of the enigmatic word "gelwane", the vandal was eventually discovered to be a 15-year-old boy, and the word itself was meaningless. As the paint had not fully hardened, experts were able to remove it.
The Heritage Agency of Denmark decided to keep the stones in their current location and selected a protective casing design from 157 projects submitted through a competition. The winner of the competition was Nobel Architects. The glass casing creates a climate system that keeps the stones at a fixed temperature and humidity and protects them from weathering.
The design features rectangular glass casings, strengthened by two solid bronze sides mounted on a supporting steel skeleton. The glass is coated with an anti-reflective material that gives the exhibit a greenish hue. The bronze patina gives off a rusty, greenish colour, highlighting the runestones' grey and reddish tones and emphasising their monumental character and significance.
Runestone of Harald Bluetooth
The inscription on the larger of the two Jelling stones (Jelling II, Rundata DR 42) reads:
- runes
- rune transliteration
- Old West Norse normalization
- Old East Norse normalization
(side A)
:
ᚼᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏᚱ
haraltr
Haraldr
Haraldr
᛬
:
ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛦ
kunukʀ
konungr
kunungʀ
᛬
:
ᛒᛅᚦ
baþ
bað
baþ
᛬
:
ᚴᛅᚢᚱᚢᛅ
kaurua
gera
gørwa
/
¶
ᚴᚢᛒᛚ
kubl
kuml
kumbl
᛬
:
ᚦᛅᚢᛋᛁ
þausi
þessi
þøsi
᛬
:
ᛅᚠᛏ
aft
ept
æft
᛬
:
ᚴᚢᚱᛘ
kurm
Gorm,
Gorm,
ᚠᛅᚦᚢᚱ
faþur
fǫður
faþur
ᛋᛁᚾ
sin
sinn,
sin,
/
¶
ᛅᚢᚴ
auk
ok
ok
ᛅᚠᛏ
aft
ept
æft
᛬
:
ᚦᚭᚢᚱᚢᛁ
þourui
Þyrvé,
Þorwi,
᛬
:
ᛘᚢᚦᚢᚱ
muþur
móður
moþur
᛬
:
ᛋᛁᚾᛅ
sina
sína,
sina,
᛬
:
ᛋᛅ
sa
sá
sa
/
¶
ᚼᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏᚱ
haraltr
Haraldr
Haraldr
(᛬)
(:)
ᛁᛅᛋ
ias
er
æs
᛬
:
ᛋᚭᛦ
soʀ
sér
seʀ
᛫
·
ᚢᛅᚾ
uan
vann
wan
᛫
·
ᛏᛅᚾᛘᛅᚢᚱᚴ
tanmaurk
Danmǫrk
Danmork
King Haraldr ordered these monuments made in memory of Gormr, his father, and in memory of Þyrvé, his mother; that Haraldr who won for himself all of Denmark
(side B)
ᛅᛚᛅ
ala
alla
alla
᛫
·
ᛅᚢᚴ
auk
ok
ok
᛫
·
ᚾᚢᚱᚢᛁᛅᚴ
nuruiak
Norveg
Norwæg
and Norway
(side C)
᛫
(·)
ᛅᚢᚴ
auk
ok
ok
᛫
ᛏ(ᛅ)ᚾᛁ
t(a)ni
dani
dani
(᛫
ᚴᛅᚱᚦᛁ
(k)(a)(r)(þ)(i)
gerði
gærþi
᛫)
ᚴᚱᛁᛋᛏᚾᚭ
kristno
kristna.
kristna.
and made the Danes Christian.
The stone has a figure of the crucified Christ on one side and on another side a serpent wrapped around a lion. Christ is depicted as standing in the shape of a cross and entangled in what appear to be branches. This depiction of Christ has often been taken as indicating the parallels with the "hanging" of the Norse pagan god Odin, who in Rúnatal gives an account of being hanged from a tree and pierced by a spear.
Modern copies of the runestone of Harald Bluetooth
Another copy of this stone was placed in 1936 on the Domplein ('Dom Square') in Utrecht in the Netherlands, next to the Cathedral of Utrecht, on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of Utrecht University.
In 1955, a plaster cast of this stone was made for a festival in London. It is now located in the grounds of the Danish Church in London, 4 St Katherines Precinct, Regents Park, London. The copy is painted in bright colours, like the original. Most of the original paint has flaked away from the original stone, but enough small specks of paint remained to enable the determination of what the colours looked like when they were freshly painted.
A copy is located in the National Museum of Denmark. Another copy, decorated by Rudolf Broby-Johansen in the 1930s, is just outside the Jelling museum, which stands within sight of the Jelling mounds.
A copy exists in Rouen, Normandy, France, near Saint-Ouen Abbey Church, given by Denmark to the city of Rouen, commemorating 1,000 years of Norse influence in Normandy, in 1911.
A facsimile of the image of Christ on Harald's runestone appears on the inside front cover of Danish passports.
Runestone of Gorm
The inscription on the older and smaller of the Jelling stones (Jelling I, Rundata DR 41) reads:
- runes
- rune transliteration
- Old West Norse normalisation
- Old East Norse normalisation
(side A)
᛬
:
ᚴᚢᚱᛘᛦ
kurmʀ
Gormr
Gormʀ
᛬
:
ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛦ
kunukʀ
konungr
kunungʀ
᛬
: ¶ :
ᚴ(ᛅᚱ)ᚦᛁ
k(a)(r)þi
gerði
gærþi
᛬
:
ᚴᚢᛒᛚ
kubl
kuml
kumbl
᛬
:
ᚦᚢᛋᛁ
þusi
þessi
þøsi
᛬
: ¶ :
ᛅ(ᚠᛏ)
a(f)(t)
ept
æft
᛬
:
ᚦᚢᚱᚢᛁ
þurui
Þyrvé,
Þorwi,
᛬
:
ᚴᚢᚾᚢ
kunu
konu
kunu
King Gormr made these monuments in memory of Þyrvé,
(side B)
᛬
⁓
ᛋᛁᚾᛅ
sina
sína,
sina,
᛬
⁓
ᛏᛅᚾᛘᛅᚱᚴᛅᛦ
tanmarkaʀ
Danmarkar
Danmarkaʀ
᛬
⁓
ᛒᚢᛏ
but
bót.
bot.
᛬
⁓
his wife, Denmark's salvation.