Setre Comb
Encyclopedia
The Setre Comb is a comb
which has been dated from the 650 to 700 C.E. that has been the subject of an amount of Runological
study due to its runic inscription
.
catalog, was discovered in an ancient refuse heap in 1932 in Setre, which is near Brevik
, Norway
, and is currently in the collection of the Bergen Museum
. The comb is made of bone and its inscription features a mixture of Elder Futhark
and Younger Futhark
characters. The inscription has three rows of text, but it is unclear as to the direction it is to be read, or if all rows are to be read in the same direction. The comb is the subject of an amount of scholarly discourse as most experts accept the reading of the Germanic charm
word alu
and Nanna
, though there exists questions as to if the Nanna mentioned is the same figure as the goddess from later attestations.
The listed transcription into Proto-Norse and translation into English from the comb's Rundata entry are listed below, however, several other translations have been proposed for this inscription. None of the proposed interpretations has been generally accepted to date.
Comb
A comb is a toothed device used in hair care for straightening and cleaning hair or other fibres. Combs are among the oldest tools found by archaeologists...
which has been dated from the 650 to 700 C.E. that has been the subject of an amount of Runological
Runology
Runology is the study of the Runic alphabets, Runic inscriptions and their history. Runology forms a specialized branch of Germanic linguistics.-History:...
study due to its runic inscription
Runic alphabet
The runic alphabets are a set of related alphabets using letters known as runes to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet and for specialized purposes thereafter...
.
Description
The Setre Comb, listed as N KJ40 in the RundataRundata
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...
catalog, was discovered in an ancient refuse heap in 1932 in Setre, which is near Brevik
Brevik
is a town in Telemark, Norway with an estimated population of 2,700. Brevik was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 , but was merged with Porsgrunn on January 1, 1964. Brevik is regarded one of the best preserved towns from the sailing ship era...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, and is currently in the collection of the Bergen Museum
Bergen Museum
The Bergen Museum is a university museum in Bergen, Norway. Founded in 1825 with the intent of building large collections in the fields of culture and natural history, it became the grounds for most of the academic activity in the city, a tradition which has prevailed since the museum became part...
. The comb is made of bone and its inscription features a mixture of 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...
and Younger Futhark
Younger Futhark
The Younger Futhark, also called Scandinavian runes, is a runic alphabet, a reduced form of the Elder Futhark, consisting of only 16 characters, in use from ca. 800 CE...
characters. The inscription has three rows of text, but it is unclear as to the direction it is to be read, or if all rows are to be read in the same direction. The comb is the subject of an amount of scholarly discourse as most experts accept the reading of the Germanic charm
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
word 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...
and Nanna
Nanna (Norse deity)
In Norse mythology, Nanna Nepsdóttir or simply Nanna is a goddess associated with the god Baldr. Accounts of Nanna vary greatly by source. In the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, Nanna is the wife of Baldr and the couple produced a son, the god Forseti. After Baldr's...
, though there exists questions as to if the Nanna mentioned is the same figure as the goddess from later attestations.
The listed transcription into Proto-Norse and translation into English from the comb's Rundata entry are listed below, however, several other translations have been proposed for this inscription. None of the proposed interpretations has been generally accepted to date.
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- hAl mAz ¶ mA unA ¶ Alu naA| |Alu nanA
Translation in English
- Leaning maiden may repose, attain everything, be pleased with everything.
