Archaeologists in Denmark have discovered a small knife inscribed with the country’s oldest runic inscription, hirila, meaning ‘Little Sword’. Dating back nearly 2,000 years, it is now on display at Museum Odense.
The knife, found beneath the remains of an urn grave in a small burial ground east of Odense, has been dated as far back as 150 AD, placing it within the early runic period.
“It is an absolutely unique find of national importance,” says Jakob Bonde, an archaeologist with Museum Odense. “The runes on the knife are 800 years older than the runes on the Jelling Stones. It is a unique experience to stand with such an old and finished written language. It is one of the most amazing things an archaeologist can experience because it is an incredibly rare find. With such a find in our hands, we as humans experience to that extent coming face to face with the past. A runic inscription is like finding a message from ancient people. Then it is just before you can hear their voices. In addition, the discovery of the knife with the runes gives the museum a fantastic opportunity to connect the past with the present.”
The runic inscription, consisting of five runes followed by three depressions, has been interpreted as the word hirila, which in Old Norse can mean “Little Sword.” Either the word hirila refers to the knife itself or its owner.
“It is incredibly rare that we find runes that are as old as on this knife, and it is a unique opportunity to learn more about Denmark’s earliest written language and thus also about the language that was actually spoken in the Iron Age.” comments Runologist Lisbeth Imer. “At that time in ancient times, literacy was not particularly widespread, and it was therefore associated with a special status and power to be able to read and write. At the beginning of the history of the runes, the scribes constituted a small intellectual elite, and the first traces of these people in Denmark are found on Funen.
Only once before have runes with the same dating as “Lille Sværd” been found. It was when in Vimosen west of Odense in 1865 a small bone comb was found with the inscription harja, which also dates to 150 AD. The crest can be seen at the National Museum of Denmark.
Bonde adds, “It is spectacular that the oldest runes have been found within a few kilometers on Funen. Whether there is a connection, we cannot say anything about yet, but it shows how rarely archaeologists make such finds. You can safely say that the discovery of ‘Little Sword’ is a 100-year event.”
The ‘Little Sword’ knife is now on display at Møntergården: Museum of Odense and Funen.
Top Image: Photo by Rógvi N. Johansen, Museum Odense
Archaeologists in Denmark have discovered a small knife inscribed with the country’s oldest runic inscription, hirila, meaning ‘Little Sword’. Dating back nearly 2,000 years, it is now on display at Museum Odense.
The knife, found beneath the remains of an urn grave in a small burial ground east of Odense, has been dated as far back as 150 AD, placing it within the early runic period.
“It is an absolutely unique find of national importance,” says Jakob Bonde, an archaeologist with Museum Odense. “The runes on the knife are 800 years older than the runes on the Jelling Stones. It is a unique experience to stand with such an old and finished written language. It is one of the most amazing things an archaeologist can experience because it is an incredibly rare find. With such a find in our hands, we as humans experience to that extent coming face to face with the past. A runic inscription is like finding a message from ancient people. Then it is just before you can hear their voices. In addition, the discovery of the knife with the runes gives the museum a fantastic opportunity to connect the past with the present.”
The runic inscription, consisting of five runes followed by three depressions, has been interpreted as the word hirila, which in Old Norse can mean “Little Sword.” Either the word hirila refers to the knife itself or its owner.
“It is incredibly rare that we find runes that are as old as on this knife, and it is a unique opportunity to learn more about Denmark’s earliest written language and thus also about the language that was actually spoken in the Iron Age.” comments Runologist Lisbeth Imer. “At that time in ancient times, literacy was not particularly widespread, and it was therefore associated with a special status and power to be able to read and write. At the beginning of the history of the runes, the scribes constituted a small intellectual elite, and the first traces of these people in Denmark are found on Funen.
Only once before have runes with the same dating as “Lille Sværd” been found. It was when in Vimosen west of Odense in 1865 a small bone comb was found with the inscription harja, which also dates to 150 AD. The crest can be seen at the National Museum of Denmark.
Bonde adds, “It is spectacular that the oldest runes have been found within a few kilometers on Funen. Whether there is a connection, we cannot say anything about yet, but it shows how rarely archaeologists make such finds. You can safely say that the discovery of ‘Little Sword’ is a 100-year event.”
The ‘Little Sword’ knife is now on display at Møntergården: Museum of Odense and Funen.
Top Image: Photo by Rógvi N. Johansen, Museum Odense
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