The pictures on the greater Jelling stone

The greater Jelling stone, with an informative runic inscription mentioning King Harald Blåtand and the conversion of the Danes, is at the core of a large and important archaeological site of the late tenth century situated in the centre of the Danish peninsula. The stone is thought to have been positioned immediately to the south of some sort of church, and between the two mounds ever since that period. The great boulder has three main surfaces, all closely covered by carving. The first face has most of the inscription, which, unusually for runes, is arranged in parallel lines as for a Latin text. The second face shows an animal entwined with a snake, and the third face has the earliest image in Scandinavia of Christ – these two ‘pictures’ can be compared to a diptych since they share a similar border and are connected by a ‘hinge’. Identifying a diptych implies that the two faces must have compatible not antagonistic subjects. It is suggested that the design and carving was controlled by a missionary party from Ottonian Germany, and that in choosing the motifs they used various sources, mostly in the writings of Pope Gregory the Great. Following these early sources, the animal and snake can be interpreted as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. It is likely that Christ is shown ascending to heaven in triumph, so that the two pictures show the Trinity united in celebration of the redemption of mankind

The Danish runestones – when and where?

This article concerns the dating and distribution of Danish runestones from the eighth to the eleventh centuries. On the basis of both old and more recent investigations, the runestones are divided into five chronological periods each with their own characteristics and according to typological features regarding runes, language, style, and ornament. The majority of Danish runestones were erected within two generations after the conversion around AD 970–1020/25 and probably as a result of the stress and societal changes in connection with the advent of Christianity. The geographical distribution changed dramatically during the 400 year long runestone period and was probably due to the changing political situation. In the eighth and ninth centuries, runestones were mainly erected on Fyn, Sjælland, and Skåne. Runestones were almost exclusively erected in Jutland in the tenth century before the conversion and in the decades around the year 1000, runestones were erected in the north-eastern parts of Jutland and along the coast in Skåne. The runestone fashion died out in most parts of Denmark during the eleventh century, although on Bornholm the tradition began in the early eleventh century and came to an end within afew generations in the late eleventh century or around AD 1100