Runic Amulets Made of Metal from Medieval Bornholm

Abstract

Since 1941-42 when the standard work Danmarks Runeindskrifter ("The Runic Inscriptions of Denmark") was published, there has been a great increase in the number of finds of runic amulets made of metal in the Late Viking Age and the medieval period. Runic amulets of metal, which at that time only consisted of a few curious finds, today form one of the largest groups of medieval runic finds, and new amulets are being handed in at regular intervals for examination at the Runological Laboratory in the National Museum in Copenhagen. The increase in the number of finds has been exceptionally marked in Bornholm as a result ofa successful collaboration benveen metal-detectorists and Bornholm Museum. Material from this source makes up a third of the total number of Danish finds, and the Bornholm amulets are representative of all the Danish material, both physically and as regards their contents. The present article takes stock of the Bornholm runic amulets at the present time, including their physical characteristics, difficulties in connection with their reading and interpretation, as well as problems connected with their dating. By virtue of their linguistically meaningful inscriptions, three of the amulets, including a recent find lead from Lille Myregård in Nylarsker parish, form the basis for a discussion of the age and employment of the amulets.