Jelling Stones (c. 965): Harald Bluetooth and Christian Denmark

The Jelling stones are two carved runestones at Jelling in Jutland, Denmark, raised in the tenth century by King Gorm the Old and his son Harald Bluetooth. The larger stone, set up around 965, proclaims that Harald “won all of Denmark and Norway and made the Danes Christian”, making it one of the key documents of Danish history. Together with two great burial mounds and a church, the stones form a royal monument that UNESCO listed as a World Heritage Site in 1994.

Background: Denmark in the Viking Age

In the ninth and tenth centuries Denmark was home to powerful kings, but their control over Jutland, the islands and Scania (now southern Sweden) varied. Trading towns such as Hedeby on the southern border linked the Danes with the Frankish and German lands, and Christian missionaries such as Ansgar had visited from the 820s onwards.

Gorm the Old is the first king in the line that still underlies the Danish monarchy. Little is known about him beyond the Jelling monuments; he probably ruled from about the 930s and died around 958. His wife Thyra is honoured on his runestone, and later legend made her the builder of the Danevirke earthwork, though this is not supported by contemporary evidence.

The two runestones

The smaller stone was raised by Gorm. Its inscription, in runes, says that King Gorm made this monument in memory of Thyra, his wife, “Denmark’s adornment”. It is one of the earliest uses of the name Denmark on Danish soil.

The larger stone was raised by Harald Bluetooth, Gorm’s son, probably in the 960s. It is a massive three-sided granite boulder about 2.4 metres high. Its inscription is usually translated: “King Harald ordered these monuments made in memory of Gorm, his father, and in memory of Thyra, his mother, that Harald who won for himself all of Denmark and Norway and made the Danes Christian.”

The three faces carry different images:

• Side A: most of the runic inscription, arranged in horizontal lines like the text of a book.
• Side B: a great beast, often described as a lion, wrapped in the coils of a snake.
• Side C: the earliest known image of Christ in Scandinavia, shown with outstretched arms among interlaced ornament.

The stone was originally painted in bright colours. Painted replicas show how it may have looked, and its decoration is a classic example of the Mammen style of Viking art.

The mounds, the ship setting and the palisade

The monument complex is much larger than the stones. The north mound, among the largest burial mounds in Denmark, covered a timber chamber built with wood felled in 958 and 959, dated by tree-ring analysis. When it was opened in 1820 and again in 1861, it held only a few objects, including a small silver cup, but no body.

The south mound, also very large, contained no burial at all. It was apparently built as a memorial. Excavations from the 2000s onwards showed that both mounds sit on top of an enormous stone ship setting, an outline of a ship formed from standing stones, more than 350 metres long.

Archaeologists also found a wooden palisade forming a rhombus about 360 metres on each side, enclosing some 12 hectares, with houses inside. This suggests that Jelling was a major royal centre in Harald’s time, although it seems to have been used for only a short period.

Harald’s conversion

The German chronicler Widukind of Corvey, writing in the late 960s, tells how a priest named Poppo convinced Harald to accept Christianity. According to Widukind, Poppo carried a red-hot iron without being burned, proving the power of the Christian God. The story cannot be checked, but it shows how the conversion was remembered within a generation.

Political motives were probably important. Harald’s southern neighbour was Otto I, who was crowned emperor in 962 and supported missions to the north. By becoming Christian on his own terms, Harald reduced the pretext for German intervention and gained the support of the Church.

After the conversion Harald built a wooden church at Jelling, between the two mounds. In 1978 excavations under the present stone church, built around 1100, found the bones of a middle-aged man in a chamber grave. Many archaeologists think these are Gorm’s remains, moved from the pagan mound into Christian ground, though this cannot be proven.

Harald Bluetooth’s reign

Harald ruled from about 958 until about 986 or 987. His claim to have “won Norway” probably refers to his overlordship there, exercised through allied Norwegian jarls, rather than direct rule.

He was a great builder. The ring fortresses of the Trelleborg type, such as Trelleborg, Fyrkat and Aggersborg, were built around 980, and the long timber bridge at Ravning Enge, south of Jelling, dates from about 979. He also strengthened the Danevirke.

Late in his life his son Sweyn Forkbeard rebelled against him. Harald was wounded, fled and died in exile around 986 or 987. Sweyn later conquered England, and Sweyn’s son Cnut ruled England, Denmark and Norway; see Cnut the Great’s conquest of England.

Key people

• Gorm the Old (died c. 958): king of Denmark, who raised the smaller stone.
• Thyra: Gorm’s wife, honoured on both stones.
• Harald Bluetooth (died c. 986): Gorm’s son, king of Denmark, who raised the larger stone.
• Poppo: missionary priest who, according to Widukind, converted Harald.
• Sweyn Forkbeard (died 1014): Harald’s son and successor.

Myths and facts

• Myth: Harald had a blue tooth. The nickname “Bluetooth” (Blåtand) is first recorded long after his death, and its meaning is uncertain. Suggestions include a dead, dark tooth or a reference to dark colouring, but none is proven.
• Myth: Harald converted all Danes at once. The stone states a royal claim. Pagan burial customs continued in places, and the Church took generations to establish itself.
• Fact: Gorm’s mound was empty. The north mound’s chamber contained no remains when opened, which supports the idea that the body was moved.

Legacy

The Jelling stones have long been seen as a symbol of Danish nationhood. The image of Christ on the large stone appears inside modern Danish passports. Because of weathering and concern over vandalism, both stones were enclosed in protective glass cases in 2011.

Harald’s name has also gained a modern afterlife. In the late 1990s the developers of a short-range wireless standard named it Bluetooth after him, and its logo joins the runes for H and B.

Timeline

• c. 930s–950s: Gorm the Old rules in Denmark and raises a stone for Thyra.
• 958–959: Timber for the chamber in the north mound is felled.
• c. 958: Gorm dies; Harald Bluetooth becomes king.
• c. 965: Harald accepts Christianity and raises the large Jelling stone.
• c. 979–980: Ravning Enge bridge and the ring fortresses are built.
• c. 986–987: Harald dies in exile after Sweyn’s revolt.
• 1978: Human bones are found under Jelling church.
• 1994: Jelling is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• 2011: The stones are enclosed in glass cases.

Why it matters

Jelling records, in stone, the moment when Danish kings presented themselves as rulers of a unified, Christian kingdom. Alongside the baptism of Poland and other conversions of the period, it marks the entry of Scandinavia into the culture of Christian Europe.