The Jelling stones (Danish: Jellingstenene) are large carved stones from the 10th century, located in the town of Jelling, Denmark. The older of the two stones was built by King Gorm the Old to honor his wife, Thyra. The larger stone was created by King Gorm’s son, Harald Bluetooth, to remember his parents. It also marks Harald’s success in taking control of Denmark and Norway and his decision to convert the Danes to Christianity.

The carved symbols on these stones are among the most famous in Denmark. In 1994, the stones, along with nearby burial mounds and a small church, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. This recognition highlights their importance as a unique example of both old beliefs and Christianity in Nordic history.

Significance

The stones are closely connected to the formation of Denmark as a nation. Both stones have writing that includes the name "Danmark," written as "tanmaurk" (pronounced [dɑnmɒrk]) on the larger stone and "tanmarkar" (pronounced [dɑnmɑrkɑɹ̻̊˔]) on the smaller stone.

The larger stone clearly describes Denmark's shift from Norse pagan beliefs to Christianity, along with a picture of the crucified Christ. Because of this, the stone is often called "Denmark's baptismal certificate" (Danmarks dåbsattest), a term created by art historian Rudolf Broby-Johansen in the 1930s. In 1997, a photo of this stone inspired the name "Bluetooth" for a type of wireless technology.

Recent history

After being left outside in the weather for 1,000 years, cracks started to appear in the stones. On November 15, 2008, experts from UNESCO checked the stones to see how damaged they were. The experts asked that the stones be moved to an indoor hall or protected where they were to stop more harm from the weather.

In February 2011, someone sprayed green paint on the larger stone, writing the word "GELWANE" on both sides. The same graffiti was also sprayed on a nearby gravestone and a church door. People guessed what "GELWANE" might mean, but later it was found that the person who did it was a 15-year-old boy with Asperger’s syndrome, and the word had no special meaning. Because the paint was not fully dry, experts were able to remove it.

The Heritage Agency of Denmark decided to leave the stones where they were and chose a protective covering design from 157 ideas entered in a competition. Nobel Architects won the competition. The glass covering creates a system that keeps the stones at a steady temperature and humidity, protecting them from weather damage. The design includes rectangular glass cases reinforced with two solid bronze sides attached to a steel frame. The glass is covered with a special material that reduces reflections, giving the display a greenish color. The bronze also has a greenish, rusty look, which highlights the stones’ gray and reddish colors and shows their importance and grandeur.

Runestone of Harald Bluetooth

The larger of the two Jelling stones (Jelling II, Rundata DR 42) has an inscription that includes:

• runes
• a transliteration of the runes
• Old West Norse normalization
• Old East Norse normalization

The runes are:
{} ᚼᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏᚱ ᛬ ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛦ ᛬ ᛒᛅᚦ ᛬ ᚴᛅᚢᚱᚢᛅ / ᚴᚢᛒᛚ ᛬ ᚦᛅᚢᛋᛁ ᛬ ᛅᚠᛏ ᛬ ᚴᚢᚱᛘ ᚠᛅᚦᚢᚱ ᛋᛁᚾ / ᛅᚢᚴ ᛅᚠᛏ ᛬ ᚦᚭᚢᚱᚢᛁ ᛬ ᛘᚢᚦᚢᚱ ᛬ ᛋᛁᚾᛅ ᛬ ᛋᛅ / ᚼᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏᚱ (᛬) ᛁᛅᛋ ᛬ ᛋᚭᛦ ᛫ ᚢᛅᚾ ᛫ ᛏᛅᚾᛘᛅᚢᚱᚴ

The transliteration is:
: haraltr : kunukʀ : baþ : kaurua ¶ kubl : þausi : aft : kurm faþur sin ¶ auk aft : þourui : muþur : sina : sa ¶ haraltr (:) ias : soʀ · uan · tanmaurk

The Old West Norse normalization is:
Haraldr konungr bað gera kuml þessi ept Gorm, fǫður sinn, ok ept Þyrvé, móður sína, sá Haraldr er sér vann Danmǫrk

The Old East Norse normalization is:
Haraldr kunungʀ baþ gørwa kumbl þøsi æft Gorm, faþur sin, ok æft Þorwi, moþur sina, sa Haraldr æs seʀ wan Danmork

This means:
King Haraldr ordered these monuments made in memory of Gormr, his father, and in memory of Þyrvé, his mother; that Haraldr who won for himself all of Denmark.

The stone has a figure of the crucified Christ on one side and a serpent wrapped around a lion on the other side. Christ is shown standing in the shape of a cross and entangled in what look like branches. This image of Christ is often compared to the Norse god Odin, who in Rúnatal describes being hanged from a tree and pierced by a spear.

Another copy of this stone was placed in 1936 on the Domplein ('Dom Square') in Utrecht, Netherlands, next to the Cathedral of Utrecht, to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Utrecht University.

In 1955, a plaster copy of the stone was made for a festival in London. It is now located in the grounds of the Danish Church in London, 4 St Katherines Precinct, Regents Park, London. The copy is painted in bright colors, like the original. Most of the original paint has flaked away, but small specks remain to show what the colors looked like when first painted.

A copy is also in the National Museum of Denmark. Another copy, decorated by Rudolf Broby-Johansen in the 1930s, is located outside the Jelling Museum, near the Jelling mounds.

A copy exists in Rouen, Normandy, France, near Saint-Ouen Abbey Church. Denmark gave this copy to the city of Rouen to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of Normandy in 1911.

A copy of the image of Christ from Harald's runestone appears on the inside front cover of Danish passports.

Runestone of Gorm

The older and smaller Jelling stone, called Jelling I (Rundata DR 41), has the following inscription:

• runes
• rune transliteration
• Old West Norse standard form
• Old East Norse standard form

᛬ ᚴᚢᚱᛘᛦ ᛬ ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛦ ᛬ ᚴ(ᛅᚱ)ᚦᛁ ᛬ ᚴᚢᛒᛚ ᛬ ᚦᚢᛋᛁ ᛬ ᛅ(ᚠᛏ) ᛬ ᚦᚢᚱᚢᛁ ᛬ ᚴᚢᚾᚢ

: kurmʀ : kunukʀ {: ¶ :} k(a)(r)þi : kubl : þusi {: ¶ :} a(f)(t) : þurui : kunu

{} Gormr {} konungr {} gerði {} kuml {} þessi {} ept {} Þyrvé, {} konu

{} Gormʀ {} kunungʀ {} gærþi {} kumbl {} þøsi {} æft {} Þorwi, {} kunu

King Gormr made these monuments in memory of Þyrvé,

᛬ ᛋᛁᚾᛅ ᛬ ᛏᛅᚾᛘᛅᚱᚴᛅᛦ ᛬ ᛒᚢᛏ ᛬

⁓ sina ⁓ tanmarkaʀ ⁓ but ⁓

{} sína, {} Danmarkar {} bót. {}

{} sina, {} Danmarkaʀ {} bot. {}

his wife, Denmark's salvation.