All known runic inscriptions have now been digitised

Wondering whether there is an interesting runestone in your vicinity? Or perhaps your research would benefit from information on specific runic inscriptions? Whatever the reason, the new digital search service Runor pro vides you with access to all known runic inscrip tions worldwide.

Marco Bianchi beside runestone U489 in University Park. The runic inscription reads: “Gullög commissioned this bridge for the soul of her daughter Gillög, wife of Ulv. Carved by Öpir.” So, the stone was raised by a woman.

text ÅSA MALMBERG photo MIKAEL WA LLERSTEDT

■ THE DEPARTMENT OF Scandinavian Languages began collecting and digitising all Swedish, and then Nordic, runic inscriptions as early as the 1980s. This resulted in the Scandinavian Runic-text Database, a resource aimed solely at researchers. However, this was not readily accessible and the technology on which it is based was aging.

“The old database was popular with runic researchers, but less so with many of those without prior knowledge of the field. We were keen to retain the target group – i.e. runic researchers – but we also wanted to broaden the service for others working in adjacent fields: historians, archaeologists, theologians and anyone else with an interest in runes who would like to use and enjoy the material,” says Senior Lecturer Marco Bianchi, who coordinated the project with other parts of Uppsala University and with partner organisation the Swedish National Heritage Board.

The new platform, Runor, was launched on 3 December 2020. It gathers all known runic inscriptions in Nordic languages from around the world, over 7,000 in total, with translations into ancient languages and English. Some fine-tuning remains, including the addition of more images and Swedish translations of all runic inscriptions.

In addition to the inscription, there is information on dating, the name of the carver (if known), ornamentation, links to cultural heritage data, the stone’s coordinates and pictures. There is also a GPS function that allows the search engine to locate you and offer suggestions of other inscriptions close by.

“That’s been a bit of a hobby horse of mine, because if you’re out and about and have some time on your hands, it should be possible to find out if there’s a runestone nearby,” says Bianchi.

The oldest inscriptions on the new platform were carved in Proto-Norse during the second century, while the most recent were carved in the twentieth century.

“Runes were carved on bone, wood, jewellery, metal artefacts, weapons and everyday objects as well as stones. Later inscriptions are often found on everyday objects such as bowls. One cool thing about the new platform is that you can click on an object and link to other similar artefacts,” explains Bianchi.