The Bergakker inscription is an Elder Futhark inscription discovered on the scabbard of a 5th-century sword. It was found in 1996 in the Dutch town of Bergakker, in the Betuwe, a region once inhabited by the Batavi. [1] There is consensus that the find dates from the period 425-475 and that the inscription is either the singular direct attestation of Frankish (Franconian), or the earliest attestation of Old Dutch [2] (Old Low Franconian).
Runic writing at the time was used along the North Sea coast, in Frisia, but there are very few other extant inscriptions from Francia. The inscription can be read as
ᚺᚨ?[V]ᚦ[V]**ᛋ
h(a?)þ(V)**s
᛬
:
ᚨᚾᚾ
ann
᛬
:
ᚲ[V]ᛋᛃᚨᛗ
k(V)sjam
᛬
:
᛬
:
ᛚᛟᚷ[V]ᚾᛋ
log(V)ns
᛬
:
where V is a non-standard rune, apparently a vowel (variously read as e or u, or as "any vowel"), and * represents an unknown rune.
Several readings have been presented in literature. There seems to be a consensus that the ann is the past tense of unnan, corresponding to Modern Dutch gunnen, which means "give/bestow/grant". [3] Several authors read the first word as a personal name in the genitive (indicating property), and the last word as meaning "flame, brand", a kenning for swords. The third word is read either as kusjam, meaning "chooser" or "chosen", or as ke(i)sjam meaning "cut" or "cutter", also referring to swords or sword wielders. [2]
| Interpreter | Transliteration | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quak (2000) | Ha(þu)þ[e]was ann k(u)sjam log(u)ns | "[property] of Haþuþewaz. I bestow upon the choosers of the swords" | |
| Bosman & Looijenga (1996) | haþeþewas: ann: kesjam: logens: | no interpretation given | |
| Looijenga (1999) | haleþew͡as:ann:kesjam:logens: | possession of H. [Haleþewas = Spear-warrior], he grants the sword-fighters swords | inspected before by Bosman - Looijenga (1996) |
| Vennemann (1999) | ha.uþu.s : ann : kusjam : loguns : ha[.u]þurs : ann : kusjam : / : loguns | (ich bin) Hathurs (Eigentum) (ich) gewähre Schwertklingen Unterkunft "(I am) Hathur's (property) (I) grant sword-blades accommodation" | |
| Seebold (1999) | haauþuwas : ann : kusjam :: loguns : | ich gewähre des Kampfes den Wählern des Schwertes "I grant combat to the choosers of the sword" | |
| Odenstedt (1999) | haleþew͡as : ann : kesjam :/: logens : xx | I (= the sword) like healthy servants (soldiers). I place (inflict) wounds. | |
| Bammesberger (1999) | haþ?þ?ras : ann : k?s?am log?n? : | ich gewähre [or: er gewährt] dem Haþuþur und seiner Erwählten die Heiratsrune (= Heiratskunde) "I grant [or: he grants] to Haþuþur and his chosen [bride] the wedding-rune" | |
| Mees (2002) | haþ̣ụþụw͡as : ann : kụsjam : : logụns : Haþuþȳwas. Ann kusjam logūns. | Haþuþyw's. I/He grant(s) a flame (i.e. brand, sword) to the select. | |
| Grünzweig (2004) | haþuþuw͡as:ann:kusjam:loguns: | H.s (Besitz) [ob Genitiv oder Nominativ bleibe dahin gestellt]; er gewährt (läßt zukommen) den Wählenden (Feinden?) die Flamme (das Schwert?) "H.s (property); he grants the choosers [enemies?] the flame [the sword?]" |
The West Germanic languages constitute the largest of the three branches of the Germanic family of languages. The West Germanic branch is classically subdivided into three branches: Ingvaeonic, which includes English and the Frisian languages; Istvaeonic, which encompasses Dutch and its close relatives; and Irminonic, which includes German and its close relatives and variants.
A rune is a letter in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were used to write Germanic languages before they adopted the Latin alphabet, and for specialised purposes thereafter. In addition to representing a sound value, runes can be used to represent the concepts after which they are named (ideographs). Scholars refer to instances of the latter as Begriffsrunen. The Scandinavian variants are also known as fuþark, or futhark, these names derived from the first six letters of the script, ⟨ᚠ⟩, ⟨ᚢ⟩, ⟨ᚦ⟩, ⟨ᚨ⟩/⟨ᚬ⟩, ⟨ᚱ⟩, and ⟨ᚲ⟩/⟨ᚴ⟩, corresponding to the Latin letters ⟨f⟩, ⟨u⟩, ⟨þ⟩/⟨th⟩, ⟨a⟩, ⟨r⟩, and ⟨k⟩. The Anglo-Saxon variant is futhorc, or fuþorc, due to changes in Old English of the sounds represented by the fourth letter, ⟨ᚨ⟩/⟨ᚩ⟩.
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Alfred Bammesberger is Professor Emeritus of English and Comparative Linguistics at the Catholic University of Eichstätt.
All experts agree on the meaning of the second word: "I (he) grant(s)", and many consider the first word to be the name of the owner of the sword that the scabbard belonged to. Opinions vary on how this name should be read, just as the latter two words have been interpreted very differently. Keeping in mind the function of the piece, some academics read the last word as "sword(s)".
