Futhark International Journal of Runic Studies
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Religious Foundations of Group Identity in Prehistoric Europe: the Germanic Peoples
PETER BUCHHOLZ Religious Foundations of Group Identity in Prehistoric Europe: The Germanic Peoples Any reader of Heimskringla ("circle of the earth"), the history of the kings of Norway by the great 13th century Icelandic writer Snorri Sturluson, will be struck by the enormous weight which the author attaches to religion. This refers both to Christianity and to pagan phenomena which preceded and even co-existed with it for some time. Snorri's work should, in my view, be ascribed a relatively high source value, if only because it is demonstrably based on older traditions either fixed in poetry or transmitted as oral prose. Öral tradition is of course not the topic of the present paper (cf. Buchholz 1980; Buchholz 1991), but the preservation of such traditions alone, many of which contain religious material, does indeed show that society or parts of it attached sufficient importance to such phenomena as to commit them to memory, parchment, runic signs or pictorial representation. The last scribe or "author" may of course have had considerable antiquarian interests, as is evident e.g. in some of the mythic poems of the Elder Edda, but such interests cannot be regarded as the cause for the existence of the myth, but only as one of the reasons for its preservation. We shall hopefully glimpse something of the role of myth in Germanic societies in the course of my paper. Leaving Myth aside for the moment, I want to stress that ÖN prose material, including Heimskringla, shows a marked interest in the concrete manifestations of cult (which, for paganism as seen through Christian eyes at least, definitely includes magic) and belief. -
ABSTRACT Savannah Dehart. BRACTEATES AS INDICATORS OF
ABSTRACT Savannah DeHart. BRACTEATES AS INDICATORS OF NORTHERN PAGAN RELIGIOSITY IN THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES. (Under the direction of Michael J. Enright) Department of History, May 2012. This thesis investigates the religiosity of some Germanic peoples of the Migration period (approximately AD 300-800) and seeks to overcome some difficulties in the related source material. The written sources which describe pagan elements of this period - such as Tacitus’ Germania, Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People, and Paul the Deacon’s History of the Lombards - are problematic because they were composed by Roman or Christian authors whose primary goals were not to preserve the traditions of pagans. Literary sources of the High Middle Ages (approximately AD 1000-1400) - such as The Poetic Edda, Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda , and Icelandic Family Sagas - can only offer a clearer picture of Old Norse religiosity alone. The problem is that the beliefs described by these late sources cannot accurately reflect religious conditions of the Early Middle Ages. Too much time has elapsed and too many changes have occurred. If literary sources are unavailing, however, archaeology can offer a way out of the dilemma. Rightly interpreted, archaeological evidence can be used in conjunction with literary sources to demonstrate considerable continuity in precisely this area of religiosity. Some of the most relevant material objects (often overlooked by scholars) are bracteates. These coin-like amulets are stamped with designs that appear to reflect motifs from Old Norse myths, yet their find contexts, including the inhumation graves of women and hoards, demonstrate that they were used during the Migration period of half a millennium earlier. -
Maal Og Minne 1-2010
Ombrukket3_Layout 1 11.06.10 12.28 Side 45 Runes and metrics On the metricity of the older runic inscriptions By Michael Schulte The paper argues that the metrical status of the older runic inscriptions has been partly overestimated in the research literature, and that it is more likely to account for traditions of elevated, stylized prose instead. In the present discussion, three di- agnostic criteria will be assessed: 1. the syllable-count, 2. quantity-sensitivity and 3. the structural complexity of the alliterative scheme. The fine divide between style and metrics will be exemplified by inscriptions such as Noleby, Sjælland II, Tjurkö I and last but not least, the Stentoften–Björketorp group. In conclusion, the Ger- manic long-line represents the only true metrical form within the older runic cor- pus, whereas the bulk of the Early runic inscriptions are identified as artefacts of elevated prose style with typical features of formulaic diction.1 1 Introduction Although mainstream research favours assumptions about elaborate met- rical forms of particular early Runic texts, this is by no means imperative. The overemphasis of metrical structure is partly due to the reliance on Siev- ersian metrical grammar on a strictly measuring basis (e.g. Sievers 1893).2 Frank Hübler, however, in his study of Viking-Age inscriptions, accounts for a state of metrical indeterminacy (cf. Naumann 1997), and edith Marold 1. This article is based on the revised and enlarged version of my presentation at the con- ference Greinir skáldskapar – The Branches of Poetry, which was held at Reykholt, Ice- land, 19 June 2008 (see Schulte 2009). -
Leeds Studies in English
Leeds Studies in English New Series XLII © Leeds Studies in English 2012 School of English University of Leeds Leeds, England ISSN 0075-8566 Leeds Studies in English New Series XLII 2011 Edited by Alaric Hall Editorial assistants Helen Price and Victoria Cooper Leeds Studies in English <www.leeds.ac.uk/lse> School of English University of Leeds 2011 Leeds Studies in English <www.leeds.ac.uk/lse> Leeds Studies in English is an international, refereed journal based in the School of English, University of Leeds. Leeds Studies in English publishes articles on Old and Middle English literature, Old Icelandic language and literature, and the historical study of the English language. After a two-year embargo, past copies are made available, free access; they can be accessed via <http://www.leeds.ac.uk/lse>. Editorial Board: Catherine Batt, Chair Marta Cobb Victoria Cooper, Editorial Assistant Alaric Hall, Editor Paul Hammond Cathy Hume, Reviews Editor Ananya Jahanara Kabir Oliver Pickering Helen Price, Editorial Assistant Notes for Contributors Contributors are requested to follow the MHRA Style Guide: A Handbook for Authors, Editors, and Writers of Theses, 2nd edn (London: Modern Humanities Research Association, 2008), available at <http://www.mhra.org.uk/Publications/Books/StyleGuide/download.shtml>. Where possible, contributors are encouraged to include the digital object identifiers or, where a complete free access text is available, stable URLs of materials cited (see Style Guide §11.2.10.1). The language of publication is English and translations should normally be supplied for quotations in languages other than English. Each contributor will receive a free copy of the journal, and a PDF of their article for distribution. -
Archaeology at South Adger's Wharf: a Study of the Redan at Tradd Street
Archaeology at South Adger’s Wharf: A Study of the Redan at Tradd Street By Nicholas Butler Eric Poplin Katherine Pemberton Martha Zierden The Walled City Task Force Archaeological Contributions 45 The Charleston Museum October 2012 Prepared for the City of Charleston and Mayor Riley’s Walled City Task Force Table of Contents Chapter I: Introduction . 1 The Walled City Task Force . 2 The Walled City . 2 The Present Project . 4 Research Issues . 5 Chapter II: Historical Background . 9 Early Charleston . 9 Charleston’s Colonial Defenses . 13 Eighteenth Century Charleston . 17 Charleston’s Colonial Markets . 23 Charleston’s Commercial Waterfront . 27 Chapter III: Fieldwork . 35 Site Description . 35 Excavations in 2008 . 36 Stratigraphy: Trench 1 and Unit 1 . 41 Trench 2 . 46 Trench 3 and Units 3 and 4 . 49 Stratigraphic Summary . 50 Fieldwork 2009 . 51 Stratigraphic Sequence . 53 Features and Horizontal Patterning . 58 Deep Excavations . 63 Chapter IV: Cultural Materials . 67 Laboratory Methods . 67 Analysis . 68 The Material Assemblage . 69 Olive Green glass . 69 Coarse Earthenwares . 70 Utilitarian Stonewares . 77 Table and Tea Ceramics . 79 Colono Ware . 90 Bottle Glass . 94 Pharmaceutical Glass . 95 Table Glass . 96 Other Kitchen Items . 98 Architectural Materials . 99 Arms . 100 Clothing . 101 Personal Items . 103 Furniture . 104 ii Tobacco Pipes . 105 Activities . 106 Ecofacts . 108 Zone 10 Assemblage . 108 Organic Materials . 110 Chapter V: Architecture of the Walled City . 115 Architecture of the Tradd Street Redan . 120 Granville Bastion . 125 Granville Bastion to Ashley Bastion . 126 The Half Moon Battery . 128 Carteret Bastion . 131 City Gate and Johnson’s Ravelin . 133 Summary . 134 Chapter VI: The Lower Market . -
Henrik Williams. Scripta Islandica 65/2014
Comments on Michael Lerche Nielsen’s Paper HENRIK WILLIAMS The most significant results of Michael Lerche Nielsen’s contribution are two fold: (1) There is a fair amount of interaction between Scandinavians and Western Slavs in the Late Viking Age and Early Middle Ages — other than that recorded in later medieval texts (and through archaeology), and (2) This interaction seems to be quite peaceful, at least. Lerche Nielsen’s inventory of runic inscriptions and name material with a West Slavic connection is also good and very useful. The most important evidence to be studied further is that of the place names, especially Vinderup and Vindeboder. The former is by Lerche Niel sen (p. 156) interpreted to contain vindi ‘the western Slav’ which would mean a settlement by a member of this group. He compares (p. 156) it to names such as Saxi ‘person from Saxony’, Æistr/Æisti/Æist maðr ‘person from Estonia’ and Tafæistr ‘person from Tavastland (in Finland)’. The problem here, of course, is that we do not know for sure if these persons really, as suggested by Lerche Nielsen, stem ethnically from the regions suggested by their names or if they are ethnic Scandi navians having been given names because of some connection with nonScandi navian areas.1 Personally, I lean towards the view that names of this sort are of the latter type rather than the former, but that is not crucial here. The importance of names such as Æisti is that it does prove a rather intimate connection on the personal plane between Scandinavians and nonScan dinavians. -
Chronology and Typology of the Danish Runic Inscriptions
Chronology and Typology of the Danish Runic Inscriptions Marie Stoklund Since c. 1980 a number of important new archaeological runic finds from the old Danish area have been made. Together with revised datings, based for instance on dendrochronology or 14c-analysis, recent historical as well as archaeological research, these have lead to new results, which have made it evident that the chronology and typology of the Danish rune material needed adjustment. It has been my aim here to sketch the most important changes and consequences of this new chronology compared with the earlier absolute and relative ones. It might look like hubris to try to outline the chronology of the Danish runic inscriptions for a period of nearly 1,500 years, especially since in recent years the lack of a cogent distinction between absolute and relative chronology in runological datings has been criticized so severely that one might ask if it is possible within a sufficiently wide framework to establish a trustworthy chro- nology of runic inscriptions at all. However, in my opinion it is possible to outline a chronology on an interdisciplinary basis, founded on valid non-runo- logical, external datings, combined with reliable linguistic and typological cri- teria deduced from the inscriptions, even though there will always be a risk of arguing in a circle. Danmarks runeindskrifter A natural point of departure for such a project consists in the important attempt made in Danmarks runeindskrifter (DR) to set up an outline of an overall chro- nology of the Danish runic inscriptions. The article by Lis Jacobsen, Tidsfæst- else og typologi (DR:1013–1042 cf. -
Nancy L. Wicker and Henrik Williams. Futhark 3
Futhark International Journal of Runic Studies Main editors James E. Knirk and Henrik Williams Assistant editor Marco Bianchi Vol. 3 · 2012 © Contributing authors 2013 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ All articles are available free of charge at http://www.futhark-journal.com A printed version of the issue can be ordered through http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-194111 Editorial advisory board: Michael P. Barnes (University College London), Klaus Düwel (University of Göttingen), Lena Peterson (Uppsala University), Marie Stoklund (National Museum, Copenhagen) Typeset with Linux Libertine by Marco Bianchi University of Oslo Uppsala University ISSN 1892-0950 Bracteates and Runes Review article by Nancy L. Wicker and Henrik Williams Die Goldbrakteaten der Völkerwanderungszeit — Auswertung und Neufunde. Eds. Wilhelm Heizmann and Morten Axboe. Ergänzungsbände zum Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde 40. Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2011. 1024 pp., 102 plates. ISBN 978-3-11-022411-5, e-ISBN 978-3-11-022411-2, ISSN 1866-7678. 199.95 €, $280. From the Migration Period we now have more than a thousand stamped gold pendants known as bracteates. They have fascinated scholars since the late seventeenth century and continue to do so today. Although bracteates are fundamental sources for the art history of the period, and important archae- o logical artifacts, for runologists their inscriptions have played a minor role in comparison with other older-futhark texts. It is to be hoped that this will now change, however. -
Die Runeninschrift Auf Dem Kamm Von Frienstedt, Stadt Erfurt
Die Runeninschrift auf dem Kamm von Frienstedt, Stadt Erfurt CHRISTOPH G. SCHMIDT, ROBERT NEDOMA und KLAUS DÜWEL Disposition: A. Archäologischer Befund (CHRISTOPH G. SCHMIDT): 1. Fundort, S. 123; 2. Zum Kamm mit Runeninschrift, S. 126 – B. Runeninschrift (ROBERT NEDOMA, KLAUS DÜWEL): 1. Lesung, S. 136; 2. Sprachliche Deutung, S. 139; 3. Sprachhistorischer Stel- lenwert, S. 141; 4. Funktion der Inschrift, S. 158; 5. Ausblicke, S. 164 A. Archäologischer Befund (CHRISTOPH G. SCHMIDT) 1. Fundort Bereits seit Ende der 1970er Jahre war bekannt, dass sich auf dem Alacher Feld und benachbarten Fluren zwischen den Erfurter Vororten Gottstedt, Frienstedt und Bindersleben eine Siedlung der römischen Kaiserzeit befand. Der Bau der Autobahn 71 im Rahmen des Verkehrsprojektes Deutsche Ein- heit sollte den Fundplatz durchschneiden. Daher wurden auf der geplanten Trasse in den Jahren 2000–2003 Ausgrabungen durchgeführt und auf den Nachbarfluren noch einmal 2004 und 2005 Sondagen vorgenommen. Es wur- den gut zwei Hektar und damit ein Drittel des Fundplatzes untersucht, dabei konnten ungefähr 1500 archäologische Befunde erfasst und neben ungefähr einer Tonne Keramik, Hüttenlehm und Tierknochen etwa 3000 Sonderfunde (Bunt- und Edelmetall, Eisen, Knochengeräte, Spinnwirtel, Webgewichte) ge- borgen werden.1 1.1. Zentralplatz: Siedlung mit Bronzeschmieden, Gräbern und Kultstätte Der Fundplatz liegt im fruchtbaren, leicht hügeligen Thüringer Becken in ei- ner flachen Senke beiderseits des Flüsschens Nesse. Im Zentrum der Fund- 1 Vorbericht: Schmidt 2008a. Die Auswertung der Grabungen erfolgt z. Z. im Rahmen eines Forschungsprojektes des Thüringischen Landesamtes für Denkmalpflege und Ar- chäologie (TLDA) und des Zentrums für Baltische und Skandinavische Archäologie (ZBSA), Schleswig. Dieses Projekt wird durch die Fritz-Thyssen-Stiftung finanziert. -
Vocalism in the Continental Runic Inscriptions
VOCALISM IN THE CONTINENTAL RUNIC INSCRIPTIONS Martin Findell, MA. Thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2009 Volume II: Catalogue Notes on catalogue entries ................................................................................vii Designation of items .....................................................................................vii Concordance .................................................................................................vii Find-site ........................................................................................................vii Context ..........................................................................................................vii Provenance .................................................................................................. viii Datings ........................................................................................................ viii Readings ..................................................................................................... viii Images ............................................................................................................. x 1. Aalen ............................................................................................................... 1 2. Aquincum ....................................................................................................... 2 3. †Arguel ........................................................................................................... -
Practical Literacy and Christian Identity Are Two Sides of the Same Coin When Dealing with Late Viking Age Rune Stones
“Dead in White Clothes”: Modes of Christian Expression on Viking Age Rune Stones in Present-Day Sweden By Henrik Williams 2009 (Submitted version - the early author's version that has been submitted to the journal/publisher). Published as: Williams, Henrik: “Dead in White Clothes”: Modes of Christian Expression on Viking Age Rune Stones in Present-Day Sweden. I: Epigraphic Literacy and Christian Identity: Modes of Written Discourse in the Newly Christian European North. Ed. by Kristel Zilmer & Judith Jesch. (Utrecht Studies in Medieval Literacy 4.) Turnhout 2012. Pp. 137‒152. Practical literacy and Christian identity are two sides of the same coin when dealing with late Viking age rune stones. Reading the inscriptions on these monuments are by necessity not a straight-forward process for us today. The printed word we are familiar with is different in so many ways when compared to the usually very short and sometimes enigmatic messages we encounter in the form of runic carvings on rocks and cliffs throughout Scandinavia. The difficulties which we expect and take into account are not, however, primarily the main obstacles to our complete understanding of the rune stone texts. In one respect, these problems are superficial, dealing with formal restrictions of the media and the writing system. As is well known, the Viking age runic characters only numbered 16 (with the addition of three optional variants. Since the language(s) contained quite a few speech signs more than that, most runes could be use with more than one value and it is up to the reader to determine exactly which. -
Context Analysis and Bracteate Inscriptions in Light of Alternative Iconographic Interpretations
Context analysis and bracteate inscriptions in light of alternative iconographic interpretations Nancy L. Wicker Although nearly 1000 Scandinavian Migration Period (fifth- and sixth-century) gold pendants called bracteates have been discovered in Scandinavia and throughout northern and central Europe, only about twenty percent of these objects have inscriptions. The writing is mostly in the elder futhark but also in corrupted Latin copied from inscriptions on Late Roman coins and medallions, which are presumably the models for bracteate imagery. Relatively few of the 170 bracteates with runic inscriptions—which are known from only 110 different dies (Düwel 2008: 46)—are semantically meaningful. While the research of the late Karl Hauck has dominated bracteate scholarship for the past forty years, his theory of bracteate iconography is not the only possible interpretation of this imagery that may illuminate our understanding of the inscriptions. In this paper, I will high- light other interpretations of bracteates, not as definitive answers to the meaning of bracteates but instead to emphasize the tenuous nature of all such theories. I also propose the use of what Michaela Helmbrecht (2008) has termed ‗context analysis‘ to focus on the various contexts in which bracteates have been discovered in order to shed additional light upon their meaning. Before presenting alternate explanations, I will review basic information about bracteates and their inscriptions, and I will summarize the basic tenets of Hauck‘s thesis. Bracteate classification and iconography From the earliest research on bracteates, scholars including C. J. Thomsen (1855), Oscar Montelius (1869), and Bernhard Salin (1895) focused on organizing these artifacts by classi- fying them into types according to details of images depicted in the central stamped field of decoration.