Skriften på væggen

Kalenderindskrifter og en allegorisk lønruneformel fra Gotland

Abstract

Medieval plastered wall inscriptions from Scandinavian churches have often been dismissed as mere illegible scribbles. However, the large number of such inscriptions in it-self calls for greater attention to be paid to them. This paper proposes new interpretations of a series of hitherto un-interpreted runic inscriptions from the walls of the belfry in Bunge Church, North Gotland. It is argued that the syllable with seven repetitions, G 330a–G 330b, the runic golden number, G 330d, and the seven dominical runes, G 330f, are to be related to medieval computistics. A very similar now-lost set-up of inscriptions has been registered in Grötlingbo Church, G 38†. Finally, the encrypted formula hþkooorrrnnn, which occurs five times in Bunge, two times in the chancel of Väte Church, as well as on a lead tablet from Kællingeby, Bornholm, DK Bh 20, should be interpreted as allegorical symbols of the Covenant horn, the Resurrection þorn and the Gospel korn, rather than folk medicine as suggested previously.