Description
The Noleby Runestone was dated by Sophus Bugge to about 600 AD, and cannot be dated any younger than about 450 AD due to its language and rune forms. It is notable because of its inscription runo raginakundo which means "runes of divine origin" and which also appears in the later Sparlösa Runestone and the eddic poem Hávamál. This is of importance for the study of Norse mythology since it indicates that the expressions and the contents of the Poetic Edda are indeed of pre-historic Scandinavian origin.
The runic inscription consists of three lines of text between bands, with the second line considered untranslatable and often listed as being a "meaningless formula." The Noleby is the only runestone in Scandinavia that uses the star rune form for the j sound, all other runestones in Scandinavia use it during the younger futhark period for either an a or h sound or for ornamentation. The name Hakoþuz in the last line of the inscription is believed to mean "crooked one," although other interpretations have been suggested.
The Noleby Runestone is presently located in the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities in Stockholm.
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