A NOTE ON THE RUSHVILLE RUNESTONE by James L. Murphy Ohio State University Libraries 1858 Neil Avenue Mall Columbus, Ohio 43210
More than twenty years ago, in the Murphy, April 15, 1972). Kennedy's drawsecond line, due to a faint crack or bed summer of 1972, I was tangentially ining of the runestone is shown in Fig. 2. ding plane in the stone. Without knowl volved in an unusual discovery near (Actual dimensions of the stone are edge of the Shute novel, Mrs. Farley Rushville, Fairfield County, Ohio. This ensomewhat less than those given by more accurately transcribed these two graved piece of locally derived Vinton Kennedy in his let1er. According to Farley characters but added two horizontal lines sandstone has been described as the (1989: 133) it measures 7 by 8 inches.) that do not appear on the actual stone. " Ohio Runestone," (Farley 1989, On first seeing the runestone, I disAlso, as McCulloch points out, the stone McCulloch 1990), but since it is quite missed it as a relatively recent producappears to have been broken, removing likely that other Ohio runestones may tion . This was based partly upon the relall but a trace of the fourth character in eventually surface, I prefer to refer to this ative softness of the siltstone and lack of the top line. one as the Rushville Runestone. weathering of the runes which were McCulloch rightly dismisses this rune Whatever it is called, McCulloch (1990) carved or scratched (not pecked) in the stone as the innocent diversion of an un has conclusively demonstrated that the stone, partly upon the location. When known person spending an afternoon carving was made very recently, subsepressed, while emphasizing that estireading Shute's novel in the romantic quent to 1940, and cannot date to the mates based upon degree of weathering setting of Rushville's "Old Spring." He Viking era. He has shown that it is in fact are notoriously imprecise, I speculated justifiably draws the moral that care a precise duplication of a set of runes that it was probably no more than 20 or should be taken in interpreting such indi used to illustrate an archaeological fo- . 30 years old, possibly 50 but certainly vidual surface finds. (One could also con mance published by Nevil Shute in that not 500 years . In fact, the carvings clude that some people should probably year (Shute 1940). looked like they had been scratched with not read novels. What if it had been a The purpose of the present note is t.o a knife or nail and could have been much murder mystery?) document the exact location of the more recent. Rushville find and to clarify the nature of Kennedy was unhappy with this asEqually innocent, I think, was the dis the discovery. sessment, and I suggested that he concovery of the stone. Such finds, once The Rushville Runestone was discov- ~ tact Gloria Farley, who was actively disproved, are often credited to the dis ered by Erich Kennedy in the spring of studying the Heavener, Oklahoma, runecoverer; but I am certain that Erich 1972, lying on the hillside immediately stone at the time. This lead eventually to Kennedy was not the fabricator of the above a large spring, along the northern a translation (Syverson 1979: 28) indicatRushville runestone. The discrepancies side of a small tributary of Rush Creek, ing that the runestone marked "Hakr's between his version of the runes and the 0.2 mile north of Rushville. An artificial Burial Mound." Unfortunately, the transoriginal Shute version are significant and dam was constructed to form a small lator was laboring under the misconcepind icate an unfamiliarity with Shute's pond here many years ago, as shown in tion that the stone had been found on the original text. The enthusiasm with which Figure 1, a photo postcard dated 1908 Hyde burial mound, an error that apparthe runestone was embraced by its dis and labeled "The Old Spring, Rushville, ently affected his translation. According coverer, not stopping short of a trip to 0." Although now overgrown, the area to Farley (1989: 133), other runestone exNorway in order to confirm its genuine clearly has been a popular picnic area in perts have disagreed with this translaness, also bespeaks a genuine belief in the past. tion , but they do not appear to have pubthe stone's authenticity. Shortly after its discovery, Erich lished an alternative. Kennedy showed me the precise location The point becomes somewhat moot, in of the runestone find, and the impression the face of McCulloch's discovery (1990) References in the ground where the stone had lain that the Ohio or Rushville Runestone is a was still clearly evident. The find of the precise copy of an inscription used to ilFarley, Gloria stone was a few feet to the left of the lustrate the Nevil Shute romance novel, 1989 "The Ohio Runestone." The Epigraphic young man seated at the edge of the cliff "An Old Captivity." In Shute's novel, Society Occasional Publications 18: 133. in Figure 1. The runestone was found "Haki" and "Hekja" are the young lovers McCulloch, J. Huston 1990 "Love Among the Runes: the Ohio face-down, along the small path that in a Norse dream sequence, in which Runestone." The Epigraphic Society skirts the cliff edge. their marriage is performed by no less a Occasional Papers 19: 81-82 . Only a few hundred feet to the northlight than Leif Ericson, who carves their Murphy, James L. east of this spring lies the Early names on the stone. Shute's novel was 1989 An Archeological History of the Hocking Woodland Hyde mound (Murphy 1989: first published in 1940 but went through Valley . Rev. ed . Athens: Ohio University 379), which Erich and Clyde Kennedy several editions, including a paperback Press. and I partially excavated in 1972. edition published in 1962. Shute, Nevil Not long after the find, Erich Kennedy It will be noted that Kennedy's drawing 1940 An Old Captivity. New York: William wrote "The day after talking with you my of the inscription differs slightly from Morrow & Co. Syverson, Earl father and I took a walk in the woods, I Shute's, notably in the presence of the 1979 Norse Runic Inscriptions. Sebastopol, found a rock (about I' wide and 10" tall) small dot in the first line and in conjoining Calif.: The Vine Hill Press. and it look[ed] like this." (Kennedy to the two characters at the right end of the
16 Fig. I (Murphy} Poslcarri vrew of (he Old Sprmg (It Rushville The Runes/one W8S found jsuf to the 18ft of the young man In the photograph,
Ag. 2 (Murphy) Dntwmg of the RUShville Runeslone by Erich Kermedy. L8l1ertotheAvthor. 1972.
Presently the men d i ~pc r~ cI a little: Haki drew Hckja over (0 the slone and showed her Ihe carvings. He expltlined it 10 her. ""111esc cut$ mean Illy name. and thuse eUI S mean YOlH'''. Lei I' h a~ jusl done it :' She lingered the marks, trying to under" stand the wonder. Crollching down by the ~ tonl'. she rai~cd her eye.') 10 Le.if. " Lord.
He ::. mi kd dmvl1 at chern . "So. Haki '!lid Hckja. Your nam c~ are now t ogeth ~r. for ns long ;IS th is ~fonc shall endure." 17