Seeland-II-C

Modern copy

Seeland-II-C (Sjælland bracteate 2) is a Scandinavian bracteate from Zealand, Denmark, that has been dated to the Migration period (around 500 AD). The bracteate bears an Elder Futhark inscription which reads as:

ᚺᚨᚱᛁᚢᚺᚨ

hariuha

ᚺᚨᛁᛏᛁᚲᚨ

haitika

᛬

:

ᚠᚨᚱᚨᚢᛁᛋᚨ

farauisa

᛬

:

ᚷᛁᛒᚢ

gibu

ᚨᚢᛅᚨ

auja

᛬

:

ᛏᛏᛏ

ttt

ᚺᚨᚱᛁᚢᚺᚨ ᚺᚨᛁᛏᛁᚲᚨ ᛬ ᚠᚨᚱᚨᚢᛁᛋᚨ ᛬ ᚷᛁᛒᚢ ᚨᚢᛅᚨ ᛬ 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 invocations of the Norse pagan god Tyr.[1]

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, healing his horse.

Wolfgang Krause translates the inscription as: "Hariuha I am called: the dangerous knowledgeable one: I give chance."[2] farauisa is interpreted as fara-uisa, either "danger-wise" or "travel-wise". Erik Moltke translates this word as "one who is wise about dangers".[3] The giving of "chance" or "luck" in the inscription is evidence of the use of bracteates as amulets.[4]

The inscription *hariuha is suggested to contain the Germanic noun *harja, meaning "army, troop" - a common occurrence in Germanic compound names.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Spurkland, Terje (2005). Norwegian Runes and Runic Inscriptions. Boydell Press. p. 12. ISBN 1-84383-186-4.
  2. ^ Krause, W. (1971). Die Sprache der Urnordischen Runeninschriften. ISBN 3-533-02179-3.
  3. ^ Moltke, Erik (1976). Runerne i Danmark og deres Oprindelse. ISBN 87-553-0426-5. Published in English as Runes and their Origin: Denmark and Elsewhere.
  4. ^ Looijenga, Tineke (2003). Texts and Contexts of the Oldest Runic Inscriptions. Brill. p. 213. ISBN 90-04-12396-2.
  5. ^ Hultgård, Anders. "Formules de Théophanie, de la Scandinavie à l'Iran". Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres. 2009 (1): 219–220.