Eggjum stone

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The Eggjum stone is a grave stone that was ploughed up in 1917 on the farm of that name, in Sogndal, parish of Sogn, Norway.

It has a long runic inscription in Old West Scandinavian, the language of the Eddic Lays; it was dated by Professor Haakon Shetelig to the first half of the 8th century. The text seems to be a magic protection against desecration of the stone, containing allusions to a mythological background.

With ca. 200 characters, it is the longest known text in the Old Futhark. The text is arranged in three panels, separated by ornamental engravings (a stylized horse's head).

Text

• Panel 1:

''nissolusotuknisaksestain

''skorinni????maRnak danisniþ

''rinRniwiltiRmanRlagi??

''??????galande

• Panel 2:

''hinwarbnaseumaRmadeþaim

''kaibaibormoþahunihuwaRob

''kamharasahialatgotnafiskR

''oRf??na uimsuwimadefokl?f?

• Panel 3:

a?????surki

Which, rendered in standardized Norse spelling, is:

• Panel 1:

''Ni's sólu sótt ok ni saxe stæin skorinn.

''Ni (læggi) mannR nækðan, is niþ rinnR,

Ni viltiR mænnR læggi ax.

• Panel 2:

''Hin(n) varp *náséo mannR, máðe þæim kæipa í bormóþa húni.

''HuæaR of kam hæráss á hi á land gotna.

FiskR óR f(ir)na uim suim(m)ande, fogl á f??????? galande.

• Panel 3:

Alu misyrki

One suggested translation:

• Panel 1:

''No sun sought and no sax stone scarred

No man lay it nude as the niþ'' runs

''No bewildered men lay it aside

Suggested interpretation: 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:

''Hither stone the man stained with corpse-sea, made thus oarpins in the bearing-worn boat

Whom as came harrier-god here to goð'' 's land?

''Fishlike, out of river-fear swimming, as bird, our of f(?) crowing

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 hæráss is the "god of armies" - a psychopomp god which comes to the land of the living (godly ones) to take the deceased to an afterlife. Most likely the shapeshifting, shamanic Ås Odin is meant, but the christian god has absorbed this kenning in later norse poetry.

• Panel 3:

''ALU the misworker

The meaning of the ALU formula is uncertain, as are the runes spelling it out. It could be an iconographic or a regular abbreviation, or a mix of the two. The runes Ása-Laukr-Ur might be read as a blessing of or ward against miscreant(s), but this presupposes the not undisputed and somewhat poorly supported theory claiming that runes were used as part of folk magic and divinatory practices, and that their iconic meaning had significance beyond mnemonics in this respect. It might also be a word in itself, translating as "ale". Beer or mead played an important part in norse ritual, both as sacrifice and beverage. Thus the word doubles as the word for festivities and public ritual.

Meter

Panel 2 has been suggested to contain a stanza in the Galdralag meter, i.e.:

''HuæaR of kam hæráss á

''hi á land gotna.

''FiskR óR f(ir)na uim suim(m)ande,

fogl á f??????? galande.

''Whom as came harrier-god

here to goð'' 's land?

''Fishlike, out of river-fear swimming,

''as fowl, out of f(?) crowing

The inscription loosely follows the pattern of the Merseburg Incantations, 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, ritual verse chanted by the cult leaders, shamans or oracles of Norse Scandinavia.

See also

• Joint Nordic database for runic inscriptions
• Rune stone

External links

• http://www.nordic-life.org/nmh/runic.htm
• http://www.arild-hauge.com

Literature

M. Olsen, 'Norges Indskrifter med de ældre Runer' (Christiania), Vol. III, pt. 2.

 

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