Myth and Meaning in the Rök Inscription

‘Giving’ and ‘Making’ in Early Runic Epigraphy

“…The Noleby rendition of this obviously traditional poetic formula appears to represent an epigraphic squish, an inscriptional abbreviation of a much fuller expression. Much as Wessén (), Lönnroth () and Harris () have assumed for the myth‐describing series of mukmini at Rök, the fuller, underlying form (and context) of the initial Noleby line must have been widely known; see MacLeod & Mees (: 182–3) and Markey (: 98). Schulte (: 11 and : 53–4) argues that r ūnō … r aginaku(n)dō merely represents a traditional alliterative pairing, the similar verbs used in the early runic and Eddic forms presumably accidental; cf.…”

“…119) and cf. Grønvik (: 4–15) and Harris (: 61–2). But notwithstanding Antonsen's epigraphically tendentious project to secularise and normalise the early runic corpus, there is a third possible dedicatory verb attested in early runic experience, or at least a term that is etymologically suggestive of dedication.…”

Ritual and Hierarchy in Old Norse Mythology

“…Joseph Harris's view, perhaps most easily accessed inHarris 2006, is that Þórr is slotted into the role of Váli or Bous, the avenging son, in a Swedish version of the Baldr myth applied to the death ritual of the inscription. Even if one accepts this carefully constructed argument, certainly now a minority view(Ralph 2007;Holmberg 2015;Holmberg et al 2018-19;Williams 2021), Þórr is not a ritual practitioner.…”