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The Eggjum stone is a grave stone that was ploughed up in 1917 on the farm of that name, in Sogndal, parish of Sogn, Norway.
It has a long runic inscription in Old West Scandinavian, the language of the Eddic Lays; it was dated by Professor Haakon Shetelig to the first half of the 8th century. The text seems to be a magic protection against desecration of the stone, containing allusions to a mythological background.
with ca. 200 characters, it is the longest known text in the Old Futhark. The text is arranged in three panels, separated by ornamental engravings (a stylized horse's head).
Text
- ni s solu sot uk ni sakse stain skorin.ni XXXX maR nakdan isn X(X)rXXR, ni wiltiR manR lagi XX
- hin warb naseu maR, made þaim kaiba i bormoþa huni.huwaR ob kam hi harisa a lat gotna? fiskR oR f XXnauim suwimade, fokl i fXaXX XXX galande.
- alu misurki
putative Translation
- Nor has the sun struck it nor carved a sax the stone
- Nor a man can put down naked unchallenged,
- Nor man in the wrong can rest
- The man covered with corpse-lake [blood] this one ,
- Rubbed off with (it) the pins in the hollowed bear [a ship].
- As who arrived the troop [of Aesir] to the country of men?
- The fish, swimming outside the wave of horror,
- The bird, howling in the enemy ....
- A curse on the harmful!
Panel 2 has been suggested to contain a stanza in the Galdralag meter, i.e.:
- Hverr of kom Heráss á
- hí á land gotna?
- Fiskr ór fjanda vim svimandi,
- fogl á fjanda lið galandi.
- As whom came War-god
- hither to the land of men?
- A fish from the torrent of enemies swimming,
- A bird against the troop of enemies screaming.
See also
External link
Literature
M. Olsen, 'Norges Indskrifter med de ældre Runer' (Christiania), Vol. III, pt. 2.
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