Namn och bygd 2022

Back to issue

Rökstenen. Två nytolkningar: English: The Rök rune stone. Two new interpretations

English: The Rök rune stone. Two new interpretations

Hultgård, Anders

Source system: Publicera | Published: 2022-12-16 | Pages: 61–76

Abstract

This article discusses two recent studies of the Rök rune stone in Sweden (Ralph 2021 and Williams 2021). They follow different lines of interpretations. Ralph views cosmic symbolism as the key to understanding the inscription as a form of riddles in which the text is preserved. The Ragnarök myth presents the background against which Williams elaborates his interpretation. Some runic sequences that show the differences between the scholars are explored in more detail. The aim of the inscription is finally addressed.

Keywords

Rök stone; runes; riddles; cosmic order; Odin; Ragnarök; Thor; Fenriswolf; futhark; Rigveda; Theoderik; Goths

DOI | Original publication