Ålum Church rune stones
The four rune stones of Ålum Kirke are south of Gl. Viborgvej, about 14 km west of Randers in Jutland, Denmark . Outside the church are the two largest rune stones and in the vestibule are two more. They probably originally stood on hills or along the old roads. Ålum Church is located in a fertile valley that connects Randers with Viborg . The area is rich in relics from different times.
The stones in front of the church
The largest, slightly reddish rune stone in front of the church, slightly more than two meters high, is of great interest because it has a stylized equestrian figure on the back. This picture led to his discovery in 1890, because the rune stone was with the inscription down below the church hill. The text in a serpentine ribbon reads:
"Vigot placed this stone after his son Esge, God help his soul well"
This shows that the runestone originated in the late Viking Age, when Christianity gradually gained influence in Denmark. The tab on the back has no connection with the text.
On the slightly smaller, gray stone outside the church, the text in the serpentine ribbon reads:
"Tyra, Vigot's wife had this stone set after Sibbes' son, as she would have been much better than she would have liked (if it was her) own son (or a dear son)."
The recurring name Vigot makes it likely that the two rune stones belong to the same family. The rune texts are almost identical in design and style.
- Ålum Church rune stones
Runestone with the equestrian image
the second stone in front of the church
damaged stone in the Karnhaus
Runestone remnants
The stones in the church
The rune stones in the porch of the church were found inside the church. On the big stone the text reads:
"Tole placed this stone after his son Ingeld, a very noble boy. This monument is ..."
The end of the text is illegible. The word boy is interesting. In the Viking Age, it is the name for a grown man - often a warrior - and some other runic scripts just use "boy" for a warrior who fell abroad.
The second rune stone in the vestibule is a fragment of a larger stone found under the vestibule floor in 1843. The text cannot yet be translated.
At the nearby church of Skjern , five kilometers west of Ålum, two other beautiful rune stones from the Viking Age can be seen.
The beautiful ashlar church from around 1200 has an interesting history and remarkable architectural details.
literature
- Henning Dehn Nielsen: 348 Oldtidsminder i Jylland . Turguide til Danmarks oldtid. Gyldendal , Copenhagen 1976, ISBN 87-01-01951-1 (Danish).
- Carsten Henrik Bang: Guide to Danske fortidsminder . Rigt illustreret guide til approx. 500 publicly tilgængelige fortidsminder i Danmark. Gyldendal and Skov- og Naturstyrelsen des Miljøministeriet , Copenhagen 1994, ISBN 87-00-17166-2 (Danish).
- Ingrid Falktoft Andersen: Vejviser til Danmarks Oldtid . Turguide til Danmarks oldtid. Wormianum, 1994, ISBN 87-89531-10-8 (Danish).
Web links
Coordinates: 56 ° 27 '8.9 " N , 9 ° 49' 58.2" E