Lindholm amulet
Encyclopedia
Rundata
The Scandinavian Runic-text Data Base is a project involving the creation and maintenance of a database of runic inscriptions. The project's goal is to comprehensively catalog runestones in a machine-readable way for future research...
, is a bone piece found in Skåne, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, that is dated to the 2nd to 4th centuries and has a runic inscription.
Description
The Lindholm amulet is a bone that was carved into the shape of a rib that was found in 1840 while cutting peatPeat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
from a bog. This cut the bone in half and resulted in the destruction of one rune in the second line of text.
The inscription contains the controversial term or title erilaz
Erilaz
Erilaz is a Migration period Proto-Norse word attested on various Elder Futhark inscriptions, which has often been interpreted to mean "magician" or "rune master", viz. one who is capable of writing runes to magical effect...
. The sequence in the second line has been interpreted as a magical formula or ritual: the three consecutive stacked Tiwaz runes as an invocation of Tyr, and the eight Ansuz runes as an invocation or symbolic list of eight Æsir
Æsir
In Old Norse, áss is the term denoting a member of the principal pantheon in Norse paganism. This pantheon includes Odin, Frigg, Thor, Baldr and Tyr. The second pantheon comprises the Vanir...
.
If the word in first line is translated as a name, Sawilagaz means "the one of the Sun (Sowilo
Sowilo
Sól or Sunna is the Sun personified in Germanic mythology. One of the two Old High German Merseburg Incantations, written in the 9th or 10th century CE, attests that Sunna is the sister of Sinthgunt...
)." If the word is translated as "the wily" or "crafty one" or "deceitful one," then it may be related to a byname of Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
or another god.
Transliteration of runic text to Latin letters
The first line reads either- ek erilaz sa wilagaz hateka :
or
- ek erilaz sa(=i)wilagaz hateka :
The second line reads
- aaaaaaaazzznnn-b- muttt : alu :
Transcription into Proto-Norse
The first line is transcribed as either- Ek erilaz sa Wilagaz haite'ka
or
- Ek erilaz Sawilagaz haite'ka
On the second line only alu
Alu (runic)
Alu is a Germanic charm word appearing on numerous Elder Futhark found in Central and Northern Europe dating from between 200 and 800 CE. The word – the most common of the early runic charm words – usually appears either alone or as part of an apparent formula...
is transcribed by Rundata
Rundata
The Scandinavian Runic-text Data Base is a project involving the creation and maintenance of a database of runic inscriptions. The project's goal is to comprehensively catalog runestones in a machine-readable way for future research...
:
- ... ... alu
Translation in English
The first line is translated as- I the eril am called the wily
or
- I the eril am called Sawilagaz
While the second line may refer to ale
Ale
Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast. The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste...
:
- ... ... 'aluAlu (runic)Alu is a Germanic charm word appearing on numerous Elder Futhark found in Central and Northern Europe dating from between 200 and 800 CE. The word – the most common of the early runic charm words – usually appears either alone or as part of an apparent formula...
' (ale?)