Denmark’s Oldest Runes Unearthed on Ancient Knife Blade Archaeologists in Denmark have made a remarkable discovery of runic letters inscribed on a 3-inch iron blade dating back nearly 2,000 years, marking one of the country’s oldest runic finds. The knife, found in an ancient grave near Odense on Funen Island in 2021, was stored at the Odense Museum until recently when curators deciphered the inscription. The five runes on the blade form the word “hirila,” possibly translating to “little sword” in the language of the Iron Age inhabitants from around 500 B.C. to A.D. 400. Jakob Bonde, a curator at the Odense Museum, identified the runes as a variation of the “Elder Futhark” script used between the second and 10th centuries. The term “little sword” could refer to either the knife itself or its owner. Despite limited information about the owner, the ability to read and write runes suggests a high-status individual in ancient society. The discovery, described as finding a message from the distant past, is expected to provide insights into the early use of runes and the ancient language they represented. The knife, found as a ‘grave good,’ was uncovered in an archaeological site east of Odense, stored with a pottery jar and three bronze brooches dating to approximately A.D. 150. The runes on the blade now stand as among the oldest ever found in Denmark, with the only comparable discovery dating back to 1865 on a bone comb. Runes, utilized for over 1,000 years in Northern Europe, played a crucial role in writing Germanic languages. Their angular letters allowed for easy carving into various materials like stone, bone, or metal. As Christianity gained influence, runes fell out of use, replaced by the Roman alphabet. The ornamental design on the knife’s reverse side suggests Roman influence on the people of Funen during that period, showcasing the cultural connections with lands to the south.
