Seeland-II-C (

Sjælland Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

bracteate 2) is a

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

bracteate A bracteate (from the Latin ''bractea'', a thin piece of metal) is a flat, thin, single-sided gold medal worn as jewelry that was produced in Northern Europe predominantly during the Migration Period of the Germanic Iron Age (including the Vende ...

from

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, that has been dated to the

Migration period The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...

(around 500 AD). The bracteate bears an

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 Peri ...

inscription which reads as: :ᚺᚨᚱᛁᚢᚺᚨᚺᚨᛁᛏᛁᚲᚨ ᛬ ᚠᚨᚱᚨᚢᛁᛋᚨ ᛬ ᚷᛁᛒᚢᚨᚢᛅᚨ ᛬ ᛏᛏᛏ :hariuha haitika : farauisa : gibu auja : ttt The final ttt is a triple- stacked Tiwaz rune. This use of the rune is often interpreted as three

invocation An invocation (from the Latin verb ''invocare'' "to call on, invoke, to give") may take the form of: *Supplication, prayer or spell. *A form of possession. *Command or conjuration. *Self-identification with certain spirits. These forms are ...

s of the

Norse pagan Old Norse religion, also known as Norse paganism, is the most common name for a branch of Germanic religion which developed during the Proto-Norse period, when the North Germanic peoples separated into a distinct branch of the Germanic people ...

god Tyr. The central image shows a male's head above a quadruped. This is the defining characteristic of C-bracteates (of which some 400 specimens survive), and is often interpreted as a depiction of the god

Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...

, healing his horse. David W. Krause translates the inscription as: "Hariuha I am called: the dangerous knowledgeable one: I give chance."Krause, W. (1971). ''Die Sprache der Urnordischen Runeninschriften''. . ''farauisa'' is interpreted as ''fara-uisa'', either "danger-wise" or "travel-wise". Erik Moltke translates this word as "one who is wise about dangers". Moltke, Erik (1976). ''Runerne i Danmark og deres Oprindelse''. . Published in English as ''Runes and their Origin: Denmark and Elsewhere''. The giving of "chance" or "luck" in the inscription is evidence of the use of bracteates as

amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...

s. The inscription ''*hariuha'' is suggested to contain the Germanic noun ''*harja'', meaning "army, troop" - a common occurrence in Germanic compound names.Hultgård, Anders. "Formules de Théophanie, de la Scandinavie à l’Iran". In: ''Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres'', 153e année, N. 1, 2009. pp. 219-220. OI: https://doi.org/10.3406/crai.2009.92462www.persee.fr/doc/crai_0065-0536_2009_num_153_1_92462

References

{{reflist

External links

*Kodratoff, Yves
''Runic Inscriptions''
(Transcriptions with interpretations by Krause, Moltke, Antonsen and the author; se

no. 81). Archaeological discoveries in Denmark Bracteates Individual items of jewellery Proto-Norse language Elder Futhark inscriptions

See also

References

External links