Sønder Vissing I or DR 55 is a
runestone
A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic alphabet, runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition of erecting runestones as a memorial to dead men began in the 4th centur ...
located in the church of Sønder Vissing in eastern
Jutland
Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...
,
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
. Sønder Vissing is a small settlement located in
Horsens municipality
Horsens Municipality () is a municipality ( Danish: '' kommune'') in Region Midtjylland on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. The municipality includes the island of Endelave, and covers an area of 515.2 km2. It ha ...
approximately south of
Silkeborg
Silkeborg () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 52,571 (1 January 2025).[Skanderborg
Skanderborg is a town in Skanderborg Municipality, Denmark. It is situated on the north and north eastern brinks of Skanderborg Lake and there are several smaller ponds and bodies of water within the city itself, like Lillesø, Sortesø, Døj S ...]
and northeast of the Viking monuments of
Jelling
Jelling is a railway town in Denmark with a population of 4,038 (1 January 2025), located in Jelling Parish, approximately 10 km northwest of Vejle. The town lies 105 metres above sea level.
Location
Jelling is located in Vejle municipality ...
.
Description
Sønder Vissing I was discovered in 1836 as part of the stone fence around the church cemetery. and became the object of a study by P. G. Thorsen published as ''Den Søndervissingske Runesten'' in 1839. It dates from the second half of the 10th century and was raised by one of
Harald Bluetooth
Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson (; , died c. 985/86) was a king of Denmark and Norway.
The son of King Gorm the Old and Thyra Dannebod, Harald ruled as king of Denmark from c. 958 – c. 986, introduced Christianization of Denmark, Christianity to D ...
's wives
Tofa after her mother. Tofa was the daughter of
Mstivoj
Mstivoj (c. 925 – 995) was an Obodrite prince (''princeps Winulorum'') from 965 or 967 until his death. He inherited his position along with his brother Mstidrag from their father Nako in an unknown year.
Name
Mstiwoj is an old Slavic name ...
, a king of the
Obodrites
The Obotrites (, ''Abodritorum'', ''Abodritos'') or Obodrites, also spelled Abodrites (), were a confederation of medieval West Slavs, West Slavic tribes within the territory of modern Mecklenburg and Holstein in northern Germany (see Polabian S ...
, and the stone is one of few runestones raised after a woman.
''Danmarks Runeindskrifter'' considers the identification of the inscription's "Harald the Good" with Viking king "
Harald Bluetooth
Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson (; , died c. 985/86) was a king of Denmark and Norway.
The son of King Gorm the Old and Thyra Dannebod, Harald ruled as king of Denmark from c. 958 – c. 986, introduced Christianization of Denmark, Christianity to D ...
" likely although this form of the name is not known from other sources. The actual inscription is possibly influenced by Swedish practice since the second word uses the rune "ʀ" to represent either "e" or "æ", a practice also seen on the Hobro II runestone. The connection with the Jelling stones is supported by the inscription's inclusion of a frame.
[Jakobsen, Lis and Moltke, Erik (1942), ''Danmarks Runeindskrifter'', vol. II, column 94.]
Sønder Vissing II
A second runestone, Sønder Vissing II or DR 56, was discovered as part of the pavement of the entrance to the church cemetery, also in 1836. This exposed location — near the site of the first stone — is the reason why Sønder Vissing II's inscription is more damaged than the inscription of Sønder Vissing I.
Both stones were moved following their discovery. Sønder Vissing I was moved into the church by 1838 and has since 1897 been located next to the church organ. Sønder Vissing II was moved to the church cemetery in 1838 and has since 1897 been in the
church porch
A church porch is a room-like structure at a church's main entrance. A porch protects from the weather to some extent. Some porches have an outer door, others a simple gate, and in some cases the outer opening is not closed in any way.
The porch ...
.
See also
*
List of runestones
There are about 3,000 runestones in Scandinavia (out of a total of about 6,000 runic inscriptions). p. 38.
The runestones are unevenly distributed in Scandinavia:
The majority are found in Sweden, estimated at between 1,700 and 2,500 (depending ...
Notes
Sources
*
A Norwegian site on runestones.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sonder Vissing Runestone
Harald Bluetooth
Runestones in Denmark
Runestones raised in memory of women
11th-century inscriptions