Ribe healing-stick

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The Ribe healing stick (with Rundata signum DR EM85;493, also known as DK SJy41) is a pinewood stick found at Ribe, Denmark, with a heavily pagan-inspired Christian spell. It dates to circa 1300 CE.[1]

Description[]

A photograph of the third side (§C) of the stick, showing the words þær : ligær : a : þe : ni : no=uþær : þæ¶r
The section containing the phrase "nine needs" (ni : no=uþær).

Although ostensibly Christian, the charm written on the stick contains several native Germanic elements, such as alliteration and phrases also known from pagan poetry.

The phrase 'nine needs' (ni : no=uþær) appears in several explicitly pagan charms, such as the Swedish Sigtuna plate 1 and the Icelandic spell-book Galdrabók. It is too found in the pagan Icelandic poem Sigrdrífumál,[2] while the phrase "heavens above" or "high heaven" (uphimæn, literally "up-heaven") is used in Vǫluspá and in Old Saxon and Old English religious poetry as well as in the inscription on the Skarpåker Stone.[3][4] which also contains the term læknæshand ("healing hand").

Inscription[]

The stick has five sides. The final part of line C (after ¶r) has been scraped off with a knife, but faint traces of the runes are still visible. The following readings are from the Scandinavian Runic-text Database.[1] Note that because the fifth side only contains the words þæt : se, it has been included in line D.

Runic transliteration[]

§A ᛭ io=rþ : biþ a=k : ua=rþæ : o=k : uphimæn : so=l : o=k : sa=nt=æ maria : o=k : salfæn : gud| |drotæn : þæt han : læ mik : læknæs:ha=nd : o=k lif:tuggæ : at= =liuæ
§B uiuindnæ : þær : botæ : þa=rf : or : ba=k : o=k or brʀst : or lækæ : o=k or lim : or øuæn : o=k or øræn : or : a=llæ þe : þær : ilt : kan i at
§C kumæ : suart : hetær : sten : ha=n : stær : i : hafæ : utæ : þær : ligær : a : þe : ni : no=uþær : þæ¶r : l---r(a) : (þ)en-nþþæþeskulhuærki
§D skulæ : huærki : søtæn : sofæ : æþ : uarmnæn : uakæ : førr æn : þu : þæssa : bot : biþær : þær : a=k o=rþ : at kæþæ : ro=nti : amæn : o=k : þæt : se ᛭

Old Danish normalisation[]

§A Iorþ biþ ak uarþæ ok uphimæn, sol ok santæ Maria ok sialfæn Guþ drottin, þæt han læ mik læknæshand ok lif-tungæ at liuæ
§B biuianda ær bota þarf or bak ok or bryst, or likæ ok or lim, or øwæn ok or øræn, or allæ þe þær ilt kan i at
§C kumæ. Svart hetær sten, han stær i hafæ utæ þær ligær a þe ni nouþær, þær … …
§D skulæ huærki søtæn sofæ æþ uarmæn uakæ førr æn þu þæssæ bot biþær, þær ak orþ at kæþæ ronti. Amen ok þæt se.

English translation[]

§A I pray Earth to guard and High Heaven, the sun and Saint Mary and Lord God himself, that he grant me medicinal hands and healing tongue to heal
§B the Trembler when a cure is needed. From back and from breast, from body and from limb, from eyes and from ears, from wherever evil can
§C enter. A stone is called Svartr (black), it stands out in the sea, there lie upon it nine needs, who …
§D shall neither sleep sweetly nor wake warmly until you pray this cure which I have proclaimed in runic words. Amen and so be it.

Gallery[]

  • Side 1, starting with ᛭ io=rþ : biþ a=k.

  • Side 2, starting with uiuindnæ : þær.

  • Side 3, starting with kumæ : suart.

  • Side 4, starting with skulæ : huærki.

  • Side 5, þæt : se ᛭.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Runic inscription DR EM85;493", Scandinavian Runic-text Database, Department of Scandinavian Languages, Uppsala University, 2020, retrieved December 5, 2021
  2. ^ Sofia Pereswetoff-Morath, runic plates. Readings and interpretations. Acta Academiae Gustavi Adolphi 155. Runrön 21. Uppsala 2019. pp. 95-97. ISSN 0065-0897 and 1100-1690, ISBN 978-91-87403-33-0.
  3. ^ MacLeod, Mindy; Mees, Bernard (2006), Runic Amulets and Magic Objects, Boydell Press, pp. 124–26, ISBN 1-84383-205-4
  4. ^ Larson, Patrick (2005). "Runes". In McTurk, Rory (ed.). A Companion to Old Norse-Icelandic Literature and Culture. Blackwell Publishing. pp. 403–426. ISBN 0-631-23502-7. pp. 413-14.
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