Runic buckle from Pforzen
The so-called rune buckle from Pforzen is an archaeological find of a silver Alemannic belt buckle from the late 6th century with a runic inscription , which was found in 1992 in Pforzen in the Ostallgäu district in Bavarian Swabia . The inscription is the most extensive continental runic text outside of Scandinavia to date. The interpretation of the inscription in terms of its sound and content has not been clearly clarified and is the object of deviating assumptions on the basis of circumstantial evidence.
The find, to which the inscription is of great importance in the history of language and literature, is the object of numerous medieval works. From a linguistic point of view, the inscription is considered to be a testimony to the pre-High German language (before the second phonetic shift ) with a possible Gothic language influence . From a literary point of view, according to some researchers, by naming the personal names of Egil and Ölrun from the context of the Wieland sagas as evidence of the historical development of Germanic heroic poetry .
Archaeological evidence
Pforzen is five kilometers north of Kaufbeuren on a low terrace east of the Lech tributary of the Wertach . A row of graves on the northeastern edge of the village has been known since the 19th century . In 1991, as part of construction work on two new semi-detached houses, an archaeological excavation was necessary, in the course of which a total of 442 burials were excavated in 1991/92 and 1996. The total number of all graves is estimated at 600–700 graves. The layout of the cemetery points to a nearby early medieval settlement that preceded today's town. According to the analysis of the finds, the establishment of the cemetery and the settlement can be dated to the 5th century. The settlement is suspected not far from a ford southwest on the Mühlbach. Pforzen is therefore considered to be the southernmost branch of the Germanic settlement by the Alemanni from their northwestern settlements in the Swabian region into the Alpine foothills of the Roman province of Raetia secunda .
In addition to the find of the rune buckle in 1996, another rune find was made: a ring of a bronze decorative disk made of ivory.
The Alemannic grave (No. 239) in which the buckle was found dates from the last third of the 6th century and was probably that of a warrior from the higher social class of the settlement community. The complete armament with a lance, a shield, spathe and narrow sax as well as accessories indicate the group membership. The buckle itself is presumably of Roman-Mediterranean origin, possibly it comes from a Lombard or Pidi workshop. Although the buckle is functionally damaged at the eyelet and pin, it remained in use, which indicates that the belt buckle has a high material or ideal value for the owner.
inscription
The buckle has a runic inscription on its front, which was incised after it was made.
- aigil andi aïlrun [ornament or tie rune]
- ltahu (or elahu ) gasokun
A linguistic analysis showed that this inscription was written in an early form of Old High German and thus represents the oldest surviving rod rhyming in a West Germanic language , while the inscription on one of the gold horns of Gallehus is the oldest example in a North Germanic language (Ur-Norse) applies. However, researchers have not yet reached agreement on its exact meaning. It has been assumed that it is a fragment of the Wieland saga , as the name Egil is mentioned.
literature
- Volker Babucke, Klaus Düwel : Pforzen . In: Heinrich Beck, Dieter Geuenich, Heiko Steuer (Eds.) Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde Vol. 23, de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2003, ISBN 3-11-017535-5 , pp. 114–118.
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Alfred Bammesberger , Gaby Waxenberger (eds.): Pforzen and Bergakker - New investigations into runic inscriptions. (= Historical Linguistic Research - Supplement , 41). V&R, Göttingen 1999, ISBN 3-525-26231-0 . In this:
- Volker Babuke: The rune buckle from Pforzen (Allgäu) - Aspects of interpretation: 1. To the origin and dating. Archaeological Findings, pp. 15–24.
- Klaus Düwel: Die Runenschnalle von Pforzen (Algäu) - Aspects of interpretation: 3rd reading and interpretation, pp. 36–54.
- Robert Nedoma : The runic writing on the belt buckle of Pforzen - a testimony to the Germanic hero legend , pp. 98-109.
- Ute Schwab : The rune buckle from Pforzen (Algäu) - aspects of interpretation: 4th discussion, pp. 55–79.
- Norbert Wagner : On the runic writing of Pforzen, pp. 91–97.
- Wolfgang Beck: The runic inscription on the belt buckle of Pforzen as a testimony to the Germanic heroic legend? In: Futhark: International Journal of Runic Studies 7 (2016 [2017]), pp. 29–45.
- Klaus Düwel: Runenkunde , JB Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2008, ISBN 978-3-476-14072-2 , pp. 19-20.
- Anna Helene Feulner: Metrics for the rune buckle from Pforzen. In: Die Sprache 40/1 (1998 [2001]), pp. 26–42.
- Tineke Looijenga: Texts & Contexts of the Oldest Runic Inscriptions , Brill, Leiden / Boston 2003, ISBN 90-04-12396-2 , pp. 253-255. ( The Northern World , 4)
- Edith Marold : The buckle of Pforzen and the Norse hero legend. In: Entanglement of Cultures: The Language and Literature Exchange between Scandinavia and the German-speaking Countries - for Hans-Peter Naumann's 65th birthday . Franke, Tübingen 2004, ISBN 3-7720-8030-8 , pp. 217-238
- Robert Nedoma: Again about the runic inscription on the belt buckle of Pforzen In: Hans-Peter Naumann with the participation of Franziska Lanter, Oliver Szokody (ed.) Alemannien und der Norden. International Symposium from 18.-20. October 2001 in Zurich , de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2004, ISBN 978-3-11-091019-3 , pp. 340-370. ( Supplementary volumes to the Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde , 43)
- Norbert Wagner: On the rune inscriptions from Pforzen and Nordendorf in: Historische Sprachforschung 108 (1995) pp. 104–112.
Web links
- Runic project of the University of Kiel: interpretations and literature references for the inscription
- Austin Simmons, The Cipherment of the Franks Casket (PDF)
- Archaeological Tour Wertachtal (PDF) Time travel by bike