Glavendrup

Facts

Denmark's longest runic inscription

By Maria Panum Baastrup, Mag.art. i forhistorisk arkæologi, København Universitet (17 stories)

In 1806, sand was being excavated near Glavendrup north-east of Søndersø on Funen when a runic stone was revealed. It was from the 900s and has the longest runic inscription – a total of 210 runic characters. The stone is part of a stone ship almost 60 metres long. While excavating the stone ship, archaeologists found no central Viking grave but they did find two fireplaces and traces of nine funeral pyres where bodied had been burned. The stone ship was built adjoining a Bronze Age burial mound. It was already on the site when the Vikings built their monument.

Public place

Selected entry

Who erected the monument in Glavendrup?

Story written by Maria Panum Baastrup

Time / Periode 900 1000

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The runic inscription says: Ragnhild erected this stone for Alle good, honourable priest. Alle's sons made these runes for their father and his wife for her husband, but Sote carved these runes for his king. Thor dedicate these runes. A curse on anyone who removes or erects this stone for anyone else". The last sentence is a curse on anyone who removes the stone of uses it as a memorial for another person. "Thegn" is a kind of priest and "ræte" is a curse. The initiator of the monument in Glavendrup is probably the Ragnhild mentioned on the runic stone. The same Ragnhild is also likely to have had a similar monument erected that consists of a stone ship and runic stone in Tryggevælde on Stevns. "