(ORDO NEWS) — Most likely, the grave of the first Christian king of Denmark is located under a Catholic church on a small Polish island at the mouth of the Oder.
Polish researchers led by Marek Kryda used satellite remote sensing tools to study the island of Wolin, in particular the vicinity of the village of Vejkovo. There they discovered a large mound, which may contain the tomb of the Danish king Harald I Gormsson, nicknamed Blue-toothed (911-986).
The mound is not visible on the surface, since a Catholic church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was erected over it. The finds made in his crypt led scientists to the idea that somewhere nearby there should be the grave of Harald Blue-toothed.
Harald was the first Christian king of Denmark (ruled from 958 until his death), during which the Danish lands – Jutland and Zeeland – were united. He extended the influence of the Danes to Norway and even for some time was considered the king of this country. The sources describing his reign are rather contradictory.
For example, according to the “Acts of the Danes”, a chronicle of the Danish historian XII Saxon Grammatik, it was this king who once captured the settlement of Yulinum at the mouth of the Oder, and then presented it, giving it a large fleet, to the Swedish prince Stirbjorn the Strong, thus laying the foundation for the legendary Jomsvikings.
But according to The Jomsviking Saga , they were pagans, worshiping Thor and Odin. And Harald was a Christian, moreover, in 965 all of Denmark officially adopted Christianity – perhaps for political reasons.
In addition, so far there are no archaeological finds that would indicate that there was a large city with a large fleet at the mouth of the Oder. That is, the very existence of Jomsborg (formerly Yulinum) is in question.
Let’s return to the finds in the Catholic Church. It is believed that for the first time the bones and grave goods in the crypt under it were discovered in 1841, when a stone church was being built on the site of an old wooden church.
But nothing was touched. But in 1945, Major of the Polish Army Stefan Silsky and his brother Michal took what they found in the church into their hands. Among the trophies was the so-called disc of Gormsson, or the golden disc of Harald Blue-toothed.
Nobody appreciated the find then, and the disc was kept in a chest with old buttons for almost 60 years. In 2014, the great-granddaughter of one of the brothers found it and showed it to the school teacher. It was in Sweden, where the family moved, so the teacher suggested that this was an artifact of the Viking Age – and he was right.
The concave gold disc weighs just over 25 grams and is four and a half centimeters in diameter. On one side is an equilateral cross, and on the other is the inscription “+ ARALD CVRMSVN + REX AD TANER + SCON + JVMN + CIV ALDIN +”, which means “Harald Gormson, king of the Danes, Skåne, Jomsborg (Jumne), city of Aldinburg “.
The Swedish historian and archaeologist Sven Rosborn suggested that this disc is part of King Harald’s grave goods. Therefore, the grave had to be looked for nearby.
The problem is that historians do not fully understand the circumstances of the death of the king. According to Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus, Harald was killed by his own son due to religious differences: Sven Forkbeard was allegedly a pagan.
It’s not that we doubt the fact itself: the tradition of “kindred” killings among the Vikings was long and strong. But Sven’s paganism raises questions. Even after the death of Harald, his heir continued to mint coins with a cross, in addition, it is known that he personally ordered the construction of several Christian churches.
Rosborn’s suggestion that Harald Sinezuby was buried in Vejkovo is based solely on research on the Gormsson disk and the Silsky family archives in Sweden. Without proof made on the spot, his theory was only a well-documented guess.
Now satellite research seems to confirm the existence of a large burial mound at Veikovo, which in turn points to Rosborn’s likely correctness. Most likely, the mound is the real grave of Harald, over which a church was later erected.
Now it is difficult to say why the Danish king was nicknamed Blue-toothed – most likely because of problems with his teeth (dentists, apparently, the Vikings were not very good).
But Bluetooth wireless technology is named after him. Its creators drew an analogy between how this protocol unites devices and how Harald united the tribes of Denmark into a kingdom. The Bluetooth logo consists of two Futhark runes, which are Harald’s initials: H (ᚼ) and B (ᛒ).
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.