A Consideration of the Vindelev Bracteate
What follows are my initial thoughts on the Vindelev Bracteate. These were written between 11 and 12 March 2023.
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The Vindelev Bracteate (discovered in Vindelev, Denmark in 2020) has been all over the news recently since it was announced that the previously undeciphered runes on the fifth century golden disc were, at least partly, determined.[1] Reports from around the world took special notice of the discovery of the sensational phrase, "He (is) Odin's man," perhaps the earliest reference to the chief god of Norse and Germanic mythology. In English letters, this phrase is rendered as iR Wod[I]nas weraR. For those attempting to match the English to the runes visible on photographs of the bracteate, the key phrase appears around Odin's head near the bottom of his hair on the right side and is read from right to left. It is important to note that there are other runes on this piece. It is not fully clear in images that I have seen, but the runes may go around the bracteate in a complete circle. This is difficult to determine with certainty due to lack of on-line photograph quality and because some of the runes may have worn off with time. At first glance, the runes beneath Odin's horse, Sleipnir appear "upside down." One needs to turn the bracteate to see the runes in a right-side-up position. There are also runes that follow the sensational phrase. These have been identified as a name -- possibly the owner of the piece -- or perhaps the person who made it. These runes are said to be Jaga or JagaR. I have focused this consideration on the phrase "He is Odin's man," as it has generally appeared in the news media.
To read the runes, one must read right to left. It is also critical to note that the runes all face in the opposite direction from what is the standard convention in most contemporary rune books. Therefore, for example, WUNJO points to the left rather than the right. The first word (using Elder Futhark naming conventions) is comprised of ISA and ALGIZ.[2] This is rendered as IR which translates to "He" in English. This is followed by the runes WUNJO, OTHALA and DAGAZ. Next we find what appears to be a bindrune (it is difficult to see clearly) comprised of NAUTHIZ AND ANSUZ. This is followed by SOWILO. The letters spell Wodnas. The reconstructed Proto-Germanic name for "Odin" is *Wodanaz. The third word of the phrase begins with the reversed form of WUNJO, followed by EHWAZ (in its M-form). The next two expected runes are not visible in the photos I've seen. These would be presumably RAIDHO, and ANSUZ. The word is concluded with ALGIZ. This spells We[ra]R (Proto-Norse) or "Man" in English.
The work by runologists to determine this phrase took about 18 months. I think, ultimately, in order to fully appreciate the importance of this find, the balance of the runes must also be deciphered. It is also important to note that the runes on the bracteate are read from right to left. This is true also of the runes on the famous Vadstena Bracteate.[3] This may indicate that the earliest runic inscriptions all were to be read right to left -- and that the Latin / Roman convention of reading left to right influenced a change on later runic writing. Finally, it should be said that many news stories assert that this piece is the earliest reference to "Odin." That is not quite true. We can be quite certain that the first century manuscript "Germania" by Tacitus referred to Odin whenever Tacitus identified the god "Mercury."[4] He purposefully used Roman-equivalents for the Germanic gods so his Roman audience would be better able to understand his account.
Notes:1. See for example, The Guardian, "Oldest known reference to Norse god Odin found in Danish treasure trove," 8 March 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/08/oldest-known-reference-to-norse-god-odin-found-in-danish-treasure-trove
2. ALGIZ is indicated as a capital R in English transcriptions, while RAIDHO is a lower-case r.
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