Gothic runic inscriptions
Encyclopedia
Very few Elder Futhark
inscriptions in the Gothic language
have been found in the territory historically settled by the Goths
(Wielbark culture, Chernyakhov culture
). This is due to the early Christianization
of the Goths, with the Gothic alphabet
replacing runes by the mid 4th century.
There are about a dozen candidate inscriptions, and only three of them are widely accepted to be of Gothic origin: the gold ring of Pietroassa, bearing a votive inscription, part of a larger treasure found in the Romania
n Carpathians
, and two spearheads inscribed with what is probably the weapon's name, one found in the Ukrainian
Carpathians, and the other in eastern Germany, near the Oder
.
, some 50 km south of Satu Mare), dated to the ca. AD 400, bearing an Elder Futhark
inscription of 15 runes. The ring was stolen in 1875, and clipped in two with pliers by a Bucharest goldsmith. It was recovered, but the 7th rune is now destroyed:
In pre-1875 drawings and descriptions it was read as othala http://www.arild-hauge.com/arild-hauge/eu-rune-pietroassa.gif, gutaniowi hailag , interpreted as either gutanio wi hailag "sacred to the gothic women", or gutan-iowi hailag "sacred to the Jove of the Goths" (Loewe 1909; interpreted as Thunraz), or gutani o[thala] hailag "sacred inheritance of the Goths" (gutani is the genitive plural, for Ulfilan gutane . old Norse (gutar aevi heilag]
The identity of the 7th rune as othala has since been called into question, but a photograph taken for London's Arundel Society
before it was vandalised has recently been republished and the damaged rune is clearly an ᛟ (Mees 2004). How to interpret gutanio remains a matter of some dispute among runologists
, however (Nedoma 2003).
, Ukraine
, dated to the early 3rd century. http://www.arild-hauge.com/arild-hauge/eu-rune-kowel.jpg http://www.runenprojekt.uni-kiel.de/abfragen/standard/literatur2.asp?findno=23&ort=Kowel&objekt=Lanzenblatt
The spearhead measures 15.5 cm with a maximal length of 3.0 cm. Both sides of the leaf were inlaid with silver symbols. The inscription notably runs right to left, reading tilarids, interpreted as "thither rider", the name either of a warrior, or of the spear itself. It is identified as South Germanic (Gothic) because of the nominative -s (in contrast to Proto-Norse
-z).
The t and d are closer to the Latin alphabet than to the classical Elder Futhark, as it were <> (or <>, as i, r and s are identical in Futhark and Latin letters).
An 1880 casting of the spearhead is exhibited in Berlin, an 1884 casting in Warsaw. The original was looted by Nazi archaeologists from its Polish owner in 1939 and it was lost altogether at the end of WWII.
between Berlin
and the Oder River, inscribed with ranja (Ulfilan rannja [𐍂𐌰𐌽𐌽𐌾𐌰], "router"). http://www.runenprojekt.uni-kiel.de/abfragen/standard/deutung2.asp?findno=22&ort=Dahmsdorf&objekt=Lanzenblatt
, Romania
, dated to the 4th century.
, dated to the early 5th century.
Elder Futhark
The Elder Futhark is the oldest form of the runic alphabet, used by Germanic tribes for Northwest Germanic and Migration period Germanic dialects of the 2nd to 8th centuries for inscriptions on artifacts such as jewellery, amulets, tools, weapons and runestones...
inscriptions in the Gothic language
Gothic language
Gothic is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is known primarily from the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century copy of a 4th-century Bible translation, and is the only East Germanic language with a sizable Text corpus...
have been found in the territory historically settled by the Goths
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
(Wielbark culture, Chernyakhov culture
Chernyakhov culture
The Sântana de Mureș–Chernyakhiv culture is the name given to an archaeological culture which flourished between the 2nd and 5th centuries in a wide area of Eastern Europe, specifically in what today constitutes Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, and parts of Belarus...
). This is due to the early Christianization
Christianization
The historical phenomenon of Christianization is the conversion of individuals to Christianity or the conversion of entire peoples at once...
of the Goths, with the Gothic alphabet
Gothic alphabet
The Gothic alphabet is an alphabet for writing the Gothic language, created in the 4th century by Ulfilas for the purpose of translating the Christian Bible....
replacing runes by the mid 4th century.
There are about a dozen candidate inscriptions, and only three of them are widely accepted to be of Gothic origin: the gold ring of Pietroassa, bearing a votive inscription, part of a larger treasure found in the Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n Carpathians
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
, and two spearheads inscribed with what is probably the weapon's name, one found in the Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
Carpathians, and the other in eastern Germany, near the Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
.
Ring of Pietroassa
A gold ring (necklace) found in 1837 in Pietroassa (recte Pietroasa, north-western RomaniaRomania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, some 50 km south of Satu Mare), dated to the ca. AD 400, bearing an Elder Futhark
Elder Futhark
The Elder Futhark is the oldest form of the runic alphabet, used by Germanic tribes for Northwest Germanic and Migration period Germanic dialects of the 2nd to 8th centuries for inscriptions on artifacts such as jewellery, amulets, tools, weapons and runestones...
inscription of 15 runes. The ring was stolen in 1875, and clipped in two with pliers by a Bucharest goldsmith. It was recovered, but the 7th rune is now destroyed:
- gutani [?] wi hailag .
In pre-1875 drawings and descriptions it was read as othala http://www.arild-hauge.com/arild-hauge/eu-rune-pietroassa.gif, gutaniowi hailag , interpreted as either gutanio wi hailag "sacred to the gothic women", or gutan-iowi hailag "sacred to the Jove of the Goths" (Loewe 1909; interpreted as Thunraz), or gutani o[thala] hailag "sacred inheritance of the Goths" (gutani is the genitive plural, for Ulfilan gutane . old Norse (gutar aevi heilag]
The identity of the 7th rune as othala has since been called into question, but a photograph taken for London's Arundel Society
Arundel Society
The Arundel Society was founded at London in 1849 and named after the Earl of Arundel, the famous collector of the Arundel Marbles and one of the first great English patrons and lovers of the arts...
before it was vandalised has recently been republished and the damaged rune is clearly an ᛟ (Mees 2004). How to interpret gutanio remains a matter of some dispute among runologists
Runology
Runology is the study of the Runic alphabets, Runic inscriptions and their history. Runology forms a specialized branch of Germanic linguistics.-History:...
, however (Nedoma 2003).
Spearhead of Kovel
The head of a lance, found in 1858 Suszyczno, 30 km from KovelKovel
Kovel is a city located in the Volyn Oblast , in northwestern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Kovelskyi Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. The current estimated population is around 65,777.Kovel gives its name to one of the...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, dated to the early 3rd century. http://www.arild-hauge.com/arild-hauge/eu-rune-kowel.jpg http://www.runenprojekt.uni-kiel.de/abfragen/standard/literatur2.asp?findno=23&ort=Kowel&objekt=Lanzenblatt
The spearhead measures 15.5 cm with a maximal length of 3.0 cm. Both sides of the leaf were inlaid with silver symbols. The inscription notably runs right to left, reading tilarids, interpreted as "thither rider", the name either of a warrior, or of the spear itself. It is identified as South Germanic (Gothic) because of the nominative -s (in contrast to Proto-Norse
Proto-Norse language
Proto-Norse was an Indo-European language spoken in Scandinavia that is thought to have evolved as a northern dialect of Proto-Germanic over the first centuries AD...
-z).
The t and d are closer to the Latin alphabet than to the classical Elder Futhark, as it were <> (or <>, as i, r and s are identical in Futhark and Latin letters).
An 1880 casting of the spearhead is exhibited in Berlin, an 1884 casting in Warsaw. The original was looted by Nazi archaeologists from its Polish owner in 1939 and it was lost altogether at the end of WWII.
Spearhead of Dahmsdorf-Müncheberg
The head of a lance, found in Dahmsdorf-Müncheberg, in BrandenburgBrandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
between Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and the Oder River, inscribed with ranja (Ulfilan rannja [𐍂𐌰𐌽𐌽𐌾𐌰], "router"). http://www.runenprojekt.uni-kiel.de/abfragen/standard/deutung2.asp?findno=22&ort=Dahmsdorf&objekt=Lanzenblatt
Spindle whorl of Letcani
Spindle whorl found in LetcaniLetcani
Leţcani is a commune in Iaşi County, Romania, part of the Iaşi metropolitan area. It is composed of four villages: Bogonos, Cogeasca, Cucuteni and Leţcani....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, dated to the 4th century.
- adonsufhe :rango:
Buckle of Szabadbattyan
Silver buckle found in Szabadbattyan, HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, dated to the early 5th century.
- marings
Literature
- Marstrander, CarlCarl MarstranderCarl Johan Sverdrup Marstrander was a Norwegian linguist, known for his work on the Irish language. His works, largely written in Norwegian, on the Celtic and Norse components in Norwegian culture, are considered important for modern Norway.-Life:...
, 'De gotiske runeminnesmaerker', Norsk tidskrift for sprogvidenskap 3 (1929), 25-157. - Ebbinghaus, Ernst, 'The question of Visigothic runic inscriptions re-examined', General Linguistics 30 (1990), 207-14.
- Dietrich, Franz E.C., De inscriptionibus duabus Runicis ad Gothorum gentem relatis (Marburg: Elwert, 1861).
- Loewe, Richard, 'Der Goldring von Pietroassa', Indogermanische ForschungenIndogermanische ForschungenIndogermanische Forschungen is a peer-reviewed academic journal of linguistics. It focuses primarily on Indo-European studies, but also publishes contributions on other languages and linguistic fields. It was established in 1892 by Karl Brugmann and Wilhelm Streitberg, and is presently published...
26 (1909), 203-8. - Graf, Heinz-Joachim, 'Gutanio wi hailag oder Gutaniom hailag? - Zur Lesung des Ringes von Pietroasa', Germanisch-Romanische Monatsschrift 31 (1943), 128-29.
- Mees, Bernard, Runo-Gothica: The runes and the origin of Wulfila's script, Die Sprache 43 (2002/3 [publ. 2004]), 55-79.
- Nedoma, Robert. 'Pietroassa, § 2. Runologisches', in Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde, vol. 23 (2003), pp. 155–58.