Did Grendel live on the island of Møn - some of the mystery in Beowulf solved?

[starkodder]

Lo and behold. A new 1600 year old rune stone has been discovered at Øverby near Rakkestad in SE Norway. The stone was transported from a nearby grave field in 1905 and incorporated into at staircase in a house, without anyone noticing the runes at the time. In 1990 the house was rebuild and the stone was placed outside in the garden. After that the owner of the house wondered if the marks on the stone was runes, a question which now has been verified. There seems to be runes on both sides of the stone, but only one side has been investigated. The text reads:

Lu irilaR raskaR runoR . The word irilaR reminds of the word erilaR which has been found found in some other rune texts in western Scandinavia. It may lead to the germanic tribe heruli, which by some - including me - points to Norway as their origin area. Here is the Norwegian article:

Fant 1600 år gammel runestein i Rakkestad - Østfold fylkeskommune

 

[starkodder]

Another mystery formation, like the lost Mountain king castle on Möns klint, and found by me last week at a Scanian lake. Time will
tell of which age this earthwork is, but it doesn't look like an ordinary cattle earth fence. At the most narrow point of the peninsula, one can also see indications of a possible small canal. The original lake level is easily indicated on the picture, at least 1,5 meters above the shore line of today.

 

[starkodder]

New info on the 536 AD volcanic eruption, which resulted in unusually cold weather and bad harvests. Perhaps this eruption can be traced to Iceland.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/11/why-536-was-worst-year-be-alive

 

[concan]

New info on the 536 AD volcanic eruption, which resulted in unusually cold weather and bad harvests. Perhaps this eruption can be traced to Iceland.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/11/why-536-was-worst-year-be-alive

It`s not that long ago that I watched a documentary proposing that it was mega eruption in Guatemala that was responsible. It`s a bit sobering to think that it`s only a matter of time before something like this happens again. It might even be overdue.

 

[starkodder]

Volcanic ash nutrients ejected during the 500s may be one reason for formation of red tides and sea sparkle, which are described in Beowulf, at the very location of Grendel's lair close to the sea.

 

[starkodder]

In the local history museum of Lund is now on display the rich horse equipment from mostly the 5th century, once discovered here in Scania and called the Sösdala finds. The exhibition shows all the finds from Sösdala and similar neighbouring places, which includes well crafted metal horse equipment, including massive silver details, deliberately destroyed before burial and some distance away from the local grave fields. The large Vätteryd grave field was probably started when one of the horse warriors was buried there. Conclusions are that local horse riding warriors took part of the culture and the events on the continent, starting already before the arrival of the Huns, which the burials often have been associated with. Earliest horse equipment is dated to the 4th century. The exhibition also have produced nice books, such as one called "Hästfolk" (Horse people), with close up photos of the finds.

 

[starkodder]

Earlier this summer a 8-year old girl found an Iron age sword in lake Vidöstern i southern Sweden. According to news the well preserved sword was intact including a scabbard in wood and leather. Dated by archaeologists to be around 1500 years old, who also found a fibula on the same site during a later investigation, in the unusually low water. Prolonged drought this summer has caused water to drop to record low levels in lakes and rivers.

Girl pulls 1,500-year-old sword from lake

C14 dating of the sword which Saga found in the lake Vidöstern this summer gives the date 650-770 AD which place it in the Vendel period. The scabbard is made of aspen. The Saga sword is similar to another sword from the same period, found the year 2000, which was stuck between two rocks on the bottom of lake Vättern, just outside Hästholmen in Östergötland.

 

[starkodder]

A new good article on the 536 and 540 eruptions:

536: apocalypse | VolcanoCafe

 

[starkodder]

Regarding Headobards I am not sure. Frode and Ingeld were their kings, names that normally is connected to Denmark or at least southern Scandinavia. In northern Halland at Fjärås there is a large stone at the Iron age burial ground called King Frode's stone. Traditions from 1598 onwards speaks of a battle in which a Danish king Frode fell. However there were other kings of the name Frode in the sagas. On Zealand there is a burial ground for another king Frode.

And here is King Frode's stone at Fjärås, some distance south of Gothenburg on the west coast. 5 meters high it stands by itself on the edge of the large Li grave field from the Iron age, which contains many erected stones and some grave mounds.

 

[starkodder]

During vacation I had the opportunity to visit two large grave mounds: first the impressive Norwegian Raknehaugen fairly close to Oslo. It was erected around 550 AD and is unique with its core of 75 000 timbers. Down below remains of a burial of a possible warrior king. Traditions speak of king Rakne who fell in battle and was buried between two white horses.