Runic Amulets and Magic Objects

290 Pages·2006·1.55 MB·English

by  Bernard Mees

spine width 27mm 290306
Norwegian Runes Ar
N Mindy MacLeod and Bernard Mees
U
D
N
TERJE SPURKLUND

M
I
Runes, a unique functional writing system exclusive to northern and eastern AC
Europe, were used for some 1300 years in Scandinavia, from about AD 200 G
A
until around the end of the fourteenth century. Carved in stone, and on I
MINDY MACLEOD teaches linguistics at jewellery, weapons, utensils and wood, the content of the inscriptions is very CM runic The runic alphabet, in use for well over a

Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia; varied, from owner and carpenter attributions on artefacts to memorials to O thousand years, was employed by various
U
BERNARD MEES is a fellow in history at the deceased on erected stones. The typical runic inscription varies from the B Germanic groups in a variety of ways,
the University of Melbourne. deeply religious to the highly trivial, such as ‘I slept with Vigdis when I was JL including superstitious and magical rites.
E
in Stavanger’. This book presents an accessible account of the Norwegian CE A MULETS Formulaic runic words were inscribed onto
T
examples throughout the period of their use. The runic inscriptions are T small items that could be carried for good luck;
discussed not only from a linguistic point of view but also as sources of SS runic charms were carved on metal or wooden
information on Norwegian history and culture. amulets to ensure peace or prosperity; there
are invocations and allusions to pagan and
Christian gods and heroes, to spirits of disease,
An Introduction to English Runes and even to potential lovers. Few such texts
are unique to Germanic society, and most
of the runic amulets considered in this book
R. I. PAGE
show wide-ranging parallels from a variety of
European cultures.
This book shows runes working as a practical script for a variety of purposes
The question of whether runes were magical
in early English times, among both indigenous Anglo-Saxons and incoming aM
n or not has divided scholars: early criticism
Vikings. In a scholarly yet readable way it examines the introduction of the da
runic alphabet (the fffuuuttthhhooorrrccc)) ttoo EEnnggllaanndd iinn tthhee fifi fftthh aanndd ssiixxtthh cceennttuurriieess,, tthhee M c embraced fantastic notions of runic magic,
L
forms and values of its letters, and the ways in which it developed, up until ee leading not just to scepticism, but in some
eo
its decline at the end of the Anglo-Saxon period. It discusses how runes sad cases to a complete denial of any magical
were used for informal and day-to-day purposes, on formal monuments, as element whatsoever in the runic inscriptions.
AND
decorative letters in prestigious manuscripts, for owners’ or makers’ names This book seeks to re-evaulate the whole
on everyday objects, perhaps even in private letters. The book presents question of runic magic, attested to not only
many runic objects, with a range of inscriptions on bone, metal and stone, in the medieval Norse literature dealing with
M AGIC
and gives an idea of the immense range of information on language and runes but primarily in the fascinating magical
social history contained in these unique documents. texts of the runic inscriptions themselves.
Jacket photograph by Katherine Alexander: Silver
mounting for a sword, found in the Thames and
OBJECTS
now in the British Museum.
BOYDELL & BREWER Ltd
PO Box 9, Woodbridge IP12 3DF (GB) and
668 Mt Hope Ave, Rochester NY 14620-2731 (US)
BOYDELL
Runic Amulets.indd 1 29/03/2006 14:39:51
Runic Amulets and
Magic Objects

Runic Amulets and
Magic Objects
MINDY MACLEOD and
BERNARD MEES
THE BOYDELL PRESS
© Mindy MacLeod and Bernard Mees 2006
All Rights Reserved.Except as permitted under current legislation
no part of this work may be photocopied, stored in a retrieval system,
published, performed in public, adapted, broadcast,
transmitted, recorded or reproduced in any form or by any means,
without the prior permission of the copyright owner
First published 2006
The Boydell Press, Woodbridge
ISBN 1 84383 205 4
Publication of this work was assisted by a publication grant
from the University of Melbourne
The Boydell Press is an imprint of Boydell & Brewer Ltd
PO Box 9, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3DF, UK
and of Boydell & Brewer Inc.
668 Mt Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620, USA
website: www.boydellandbrewer.com
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
This publication is printed on acid-free paper
Typeset by Pru Harrison, Hacheston, Suffolk
Printed in Great Britain by
Cambridge University Press
Contents
List of illustrations vii
Acknowledgements viii
Preface ix
Abbreviations x
1 Introduction 1
The principal runic alphabets 13
The names of the runes 14
2 Gods and heroes 15
3 Love, fidelity and desire 40
4 Protective and enabling charms 71
5 Fertility charms 102
6 Healing charms and leechcraft 116
7 Pagan ritual items 163
8 Christian amulets 184
9 Rune-stones, death and curses 211
10 Runic lore and other magic 233
11 Conclusion 254
Bibliography 257
Index 270

Illustrations
1. Pforzenbuckle 20
2. Ribeskullfragment 26
3. Charnaybrooch 43
4. Narsaqstick 69
5. Lindholmenamulet 72
6. DahmsdorfandKovelspearheads 79
7. Undley,LellingandTjurköpendants 91
8. Björketorpstones 114
9. Sigtunaamulet 119
10. Hemdrupstaff 128
11. Bergenstick 158
12. Frøyhovfigurine 172
13. Gallehushorn 176
14. Ikigaatcross 195
15. Umîviarssukamulet 200
16. Maltstone 223
Acknowledgements
All illustrations are by Bernard Mees, except for figure 6 which is reproduced
from L.F.A. Wimmer, Die Runeninschrift (1887), figure 13 from Danmarks
Runeindskrifter(1941)andfigure14fromMeddelelseromGrønland67(1924).
TherunicfontsusedarefreewarebyOddEinarHaugen;seehttp://helmer.aksis.
uib.no/Runefonter.
Preface
In 1997 the Uppsala professor, Dr Henrik Williams, was visiting Australia as a
guestoftheDepartmentofGermanicStudiesattheUniversityofMelbourne.He
haddiscovered,tohissurprise,thatthereweretwopeopleinMelbournewriting
independently on runic matters and decided to bring them together. The first
productsofourensuingcollaborationweretwojointlywrittenpapers.Wefound
thatourdifferingbackgroundsservedtocomplementeachother’sweaknesses,if
notalwaysstrengths,andwesoondiscoveredwewereoftenabletocoveralot
moregroundthanasinglewritercouldbeexpectedto.
Our respective backgrounds as a Scandinavist on the one hand, and as a
Germanist (who has also read in classics), on the other, are a good guide to the
principalauthorshipofthedifferentthemesandgeographiescoveredinthiswork.
Itgrewfromoursecondjointpaper,whichwasinspiredbyanobservationbythe
AmericanlinguistDrThomasL.Markey.
Researchforthisworkwassupportedbytwogenerousgrants,fromtheGladys
Krieble Delmas Foundation of New York and the Greta Hort bequest to the
University of Melbourne, which enabled research trips to Italy and Denmark
respectively.ThanksarealsoduetotheDepartmentsofMedievalArchaeology
andEnglishattheUniversityofÅrhus,Denmark.TheUniversityofMelbourne,
andespeciallyitsDepartmentofHistory,hasalsohelpedfundthestudybymeans
notjustoftheuseofitsfacilities,butalsointheformofpublicationsubsidies.