Rok Runestone Translation - Ödeshög Sweden 1100 CE (Rök 1:1)
For translation methodology see: How to Translate Alphabetic Akkadian Texts
For translation methodology see: How to Translate Alphabetic Akkadian Texts
(July 20, 2023) The Rok Runestone seems to have been placed at a Druid Learning Grove near the end of its existence, that is, shortly before the land was converted to Christian use. It describes the weighing of evidence for and against certain spiritual propositions regarding a drought. This weighing of the evidence is a foreshadowing of the scientific revolution which flowered during the Enlightenment starting around 1650. The fact that these were written down suggests that this approach was considered to be novel and important by its participants.
The Rök runestone was repurposed as a construction stone for a medieval church outbuilding in the 12th Century. There it stayed until 1843 when a team of construction workers discovered that it had carvings on five sides, not just the one visible to the eye. At that time, workers made a sketch of what they could see of the stone before, once again, re-embedding the stone into the church wall. Only in 1862 was the stone finally removed and put on display in the open churchyard, where it remains today.
Below is a description of Runestone by Swedish Rune Data Base
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/rok-rune-stone
Swedish Rune Database Entry: https://app.raa.se/open/fornsok/lamning/257068c5-8b5f-4c3e-926a-dbd60b223c49
Photo taken in 2020 by Arkland via Wikimedia Commons at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:R%C3%B6kstenen_%C3%96g_2020_3.jpg
(December 13, 2024) The top part of the Celtic Ogham on this Swedish runestone lists the Pagan Nature festivals and provides the Viking interpretation of them.
The top part is a listing of the nature quarter festivals in Druid Akkadian (read from top to bottom). The first half of the year is a time of settling accounts while the second half is a time of feasting.
"Nature's rendering" references the successful growth of plant-life. It is nature giving-up the source of all food. In contrast "Breeding" reference the successful production of young animals for food.
(November 8, 2024) The rest of the nature festivals need to be inferred with some historical detective work. Subsequent investigations confirms these Pagan festivals were widely observed although called by different names. This was done by Aidan Kelly in 1974. He recalls his thought process in these blog entries:
The Fall equinox Mabon name comes from the Welsh Mabinogion version of the common Pagan myth in which the underworld god causes life on earth to sleep until his love is returned. In most Pagan myths his love is kidnapped (or rescued) in the fall.
The phrase "Mabon ap Modron" used above is actually the Akkadian phrase "Mu-A-Ba'u-Nu APu Ma'u-Du-Re'u-Mu." Mabon means: "The fertility-fluids resulting from the nest's revelations" in which "fertility-fluids" are the life powers which flow through the lift network to trigger life on earth. Thus this festival is celebrating the favorable divine attention to life on earth, on other words, Thanksgiving.
This line is written upside down when compared to the others. It is a counter statement to the anti-magic opinion of the previous 2 lines.
This text is in the Norwegian coastal letter style. The rest of the Rok Stone is in the inland Swedish style.
This text is upside down. The center has an unusual 9-arm candleabra. Normally they have 7 arms to represent the 7 heavens or planetary spheres like the Jewish Menorah. (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn). Nordic cosmology apparently adds 2 more spheres probably to represent the star sphere of the motion powers and the realm of the life powers. This text is in the Norwegian coastal letter style.