Runes engraved on a 2,000-year-old knife are believed to be the oldest in Denmark. The inscription “Hirila” on this knife discovered by an archaeologist in a tomb on the island of Funen means “small sword”.
Archaeologists have discovered an engraving on a knife almost 2,000 years old which is believed to be the oldest runes ever found in Denmark.
The runic inscription – the alphabet of Denmark’s first written language – was carved on an 8 cm iron knife found in a grave under an urn near the town of Odense, on the island of Funen. The five characters, each about 0.5 cm high, followed by three grooves, spell out hirila, meaning “little sword” in Old Norse.
Jakob Bonde, curator of the city museum and archaeologist behind the discovery, is intrigued by the engraving. He asked Lisbeth Imer, from the National Museum, to examine it:
“According to her, the inscription is “HIRILA”. This can be translated as something like “Little Sword”, probably. At least that’s her interpretation. And what is “Little Sword”? We interpret it as the name of the knife, but in principle it could also be the name of the owner of the knife, 150 years after the birth of Christ very precisely.”
The knife, which will be on display at the Odense Museum in Møntergaarden from February 2, will be displayed along with other objects found at the site.
