UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
---|---|
Location | Jelling, Denmark |
Criteria | Cultural: iii |
Reference | 697 |
Inscription | 1994 (18th Session) |
Area | 4.96 ha |
Coordinates | 55°45′24″N9°25′10″E / 55.75667°N 9.41944°E |
The Jelling stones (Danish : Jellingstenene) are massive carved runestones from the 10th century, found at the town of Jelling in Denmark. The older of the two Jelling stones was raised by King Gorm the Old in memory of his wife Thyra. The larger of the two stones was raised by King Gorm's son, Harald Bluetooth, in memory of his parents, celebrating his conquest of Denmark and Norway, and his conversion of the Danes to Christianity.
The runic inscriptions on these stones are considered the best known in Denmark. [1] 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. [2]
The stones are strongly identified with the creation of Denmark as a nation state. Both inscriptions mention the name "Danmark" (in the form of accusative "tanmaurk" ([dɑnmɒrk]) on the large stone, and genitive "tanmarkar" (pronounced [dɑnmɑrkɑɹ̻̊˔]) on the small stone). [3]
The larger stone explicitly mentions the conversion of Denmark from Norse paganism and the process of Christianization, 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. [4] In 1997 a photo of this stone inspired the name Bluetooth for the now-ubiquitous wireless standard.
After having been exposed to the elements for a thousand years, cracks were beginning to show. On 15 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. [5]
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. [6] After much speculation about the possible meaning of the enigmatic word "gelwane", [7] the vandal was eventually discovered to be a 15-year-old boy with Asperger's syndrome and the word itself was meaningless. [8] [9] [10] As the paint had not fully hardened, [9] experts were able to remove it. [11]
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. [12] The glass casing creates a climate system that keeps the stones at a fixed temperature and humidity and protects them from weathering. [13] 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. Additionally, the bronze patina gives off a rusty, greenish colour, highlighting the runestones' gray and reddish tones and emphasising their monumental character and significance. [13]
The inscription on the larger of the two Jelling stones (Jelling II, Rundata DR 42 [14] ) reads:
:
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
ᛅᛚᛅ
ala
alla
alla
᛫
·
ᛅᚢᚴ
auk
ok
ok
᛫
·
ᚾᚢᚱᚢᛁᛅᚴ
nuruiak
Norveg
Norwæg
and Norway
᛫
(·)
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. [14]
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. [15] 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. [15]
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 also located in the National Museum of Denmark, and another copy, decorated by Rudolf Broby-Johansen in the 1930s, just outside the Jelling museum, which stands within sight of the Jelling mounds. [16]
A copy exists in Rouen, Normandy, France, near Saint-Ouen Abbey Church, offered by Denmark to the city of Rouen, on the occasion of the millennium of Normandy in 1911.
A facsimile of the image of Christ on Harald's runestone appears on the inside front cover of Danish passports. [17]
The inscription on the older and smaller of the Jelling stones (Jelling I, Rundata DR 41 [18] ) reads:
᛬
:
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,
᛬
⁓
ᛋᛁᚾᛅ
sina
sína,
sina,
᛬
⁓
ᛏᛅᚾᛘᛅᚱᚴᛅᛦ
tanmarkaʀ
Danmarkar
Danmarkaʀ
᛬
⁓
ᛒᚢᛏ
but
bót.
bot.
᛬
⁓
his wife, Denmark's salvation. [18]
Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson was a king of Denmark and Norway.
The two Sigtrygg Runestones, designated as DR 2 and DR 4 in the Rundata catalog, are two of the Hedeby stones that were found in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, which during the Viking Age was part of Denmark. The runestones were raised after the Danish king Sigtrygg Gnupasson by his mother Ásfriðr. Together with the account of Adam of Bremen, the two inscriptions constitute evidence for the House of Olaf on the Danish throne.
The Sparlösa Runestone, listed as Vg 119 in the Rundata catalog, is located in Västergötland and is the second most famous Swedish runestone after the Rök runestone.
The Glavendrup stone, designated as DR 209 by Rundata, is a runestone on the island of Funen in Denmark and dates from the early 10th century. It contains Denmark's longest runic inscription and ends in a curse.
The Jarlabanke Runestones is the name of about 20 runestones written in Old Norse with the Younger Futhark rune script in the 11th century, in Uppland, Sweden.
The Gunderup Runestone, or DR 143, is located in Gunderup, North Jutland County, Jutland, Denmark. It is notable because it is one of few runestones raised in commemoration of a woman.
Sønder Vissing I or DR 55 is a runestone located in the church of Sønder Vissing in eastern Jutland, Denmark. Sønder Vissing is a small settlement located in Horsens municipality approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Silkeborg, 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Skanderborg and 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of the Viking monuments of Jelling.
Tryggevælde Runestone, designated as DR 230 under Rundata, is a runestone housed in the National Museum of Denmark, in Copenhagen. It is classified as being carved in runestone style RAK, and is dated to about 900 CE.
The Ingvar runestones is the name of around 26 Varangian Runestones that were raised in commemoration of those who died in the Swedish Viking expedition to the Caspian Sea of Ingvar the Far-Travelled.
The Skåäng Runestone, designated as Sö 32 under Rundata, is an Iron Age runestone located in Skåäng, Södermanland, Sweden, which is inscribed in Proto-Norse with the elder futhark. During the Viking Age, a second runic inscription was added in Old Norse using the younger futhark.
The Greece runestones are about 30 runestones containing information related to voyages made by Norsemen to the Byzantine Empire. They were made during the Viking Age until about 1100 and were engraved in the Old Norse language with Scandinavian runes. All the stones have been found in modern-day Sweden, the majority in Uppland and Södermanland. Most were inscribed in memory of members of the Varangian Guard who never returned home, but a few inscriptions mention men who returned with wealth, and a boulder in Ed was engraved on the orders of a former officer of the Guard.
The England runestones are a group of about 30 runestones in Scandinavia which refer to Viking Age voyages to England. They constitute one of the largest groups of runestones that mention voyages to other countries, and they are comparable in number only to the approximately 30 Greece Runestones and the 26 Ingvar Runestones, of which the latter refer to a Viking expedition to the Caspian Sea region. They were engraved in Old Norse with the Younger Futhark.
The Varangian Runestones are runestones in Scandinavia that mention voyages to the East or the Eastern route, or to more specific eastern locations such as Garðaríki in Eastern Europe.
The Tullstorp Runestone is a Viking Age memorial runestone, listed as DR 271 in the Rundata catalog, that is located in Tullstorp, which is about twenty kilometers east of Trelleborg, Skåne County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Scania.
The Manx runestones were made by the Norse population on the Isle of Man during the Viking Age, mostly in the 10th century. Despite its small size, the Isle of Man stands out with many Viking Age runestones, in 1983 numbering as many as 26 surviving stones, which can be compared to 33 in all of Norway. So many of them may appear on the Isle of Man because of the merging of the immigrant Norse runestone tradition with the local Celtic tradition of raising high crosses.
The Fyrby Runestone, which is designated as Sö 56 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Fyrby, which is about 15 kilometers south of Flen, Södermanland County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Södermanland.
The Skern Runestone, designated as Danish Runic Inscription 81 or DR 81 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone located in the small village of Skjern, Denmark between Viborg and Randers. The stone features a facial mask and a runic inscription which ends in a curse. A fragment of a second runestone designated as DR 80 was also found in Skjern.
The Læborg or Laeborg Runestone, listed as DR 26 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone located outside of the village hall or Forsamlinghus in Læborg, which is about 3 kilometers north of Vejen, Denmark. The stone includes two depictions of the hammer of the Norse pagan god Thor.
The Replösa Stone is a runestone in Replösa near Ljungby, Sweden.
DR 110, or the Virring stone, is a runestone made of granite that measures 155 cm (61 in) in height, 120 cm (47 in) in width and 27 cm (11 in) in thickness. It is written in Old East Norse in the Younger Futhark, and the runestone style is in a form called RAK.