Hi Pete,

I'll have a go, but I can't promise these are perfect. Don't rely
on them. Get a second and third opinions! I am but the learner...
Old Norwegian is basically the same language as Old Icelandic in the
early centuries after the introduction of Christianity. More
differences appear in the later middle ages. Ironically, this was
also the time when Norwegian political influence led to certain
Norwegian forms and spellings being adopted by Icelandic writers.
Luckily the limits of runic spelling mean that a lot of the subtle
differences would not be apparent anyway. Double letters were
typically spelt singly, hence in my suggestion of runic `at' for the
manuscript spelling `ætt'. This abbreviation of double letters
could happen even across a word boundary. /n/ tended not to be
written when it came before velar or dental consonants. The voiced
sounds /d/ and /g/ were originally not distinguished in the Younger
Futhark from their voiceless equivalents /t/ and /k/. So <k> might
stand for /k/, /kk/, /g/, /gg/, /nk/ or /ng/. The short vowel
sounds spelt <e>, <æ> and <i> in Roman letters were often all spelt
<i> in Viking Age runic inscriptions. I've followed these Viking
Age conventions. Words might be split with a dot or dots, or not
divided at all. Alternatively you might want to use a later
medieval style of runes which has more letters and is easier to
read? Or for similar reasons, the Elder Futhark? For various
futharks, inscriptions, essays, etc. see [ http://www.arild-
hauge.com/eindex.htm ].

> RICC MADE ME - This is a reference to the swordsmith.

Runic: rikR kirþi mik
Classical Icelandic spelling: Ríkr gerði mik (or: Ríkr gørði mik);
Old Norwegian `gærðe'.

Compare No. 133, Bondi Vestfold [ http://www.arild-
hauge.com/innskrifter3.htm ], and 68 Dynna, Oppland, runic: `kunuur
kirþi bru' = Gunnvör gerði brú "G. made the bridge" [
http://www.arild-hauge.com/innskrifter1.htm ].

> HOUSE HERREID POSSESSES ME

Runic: at hiriþaR a mik
Classical Icelandic spelling: ætt Herreiðar á mik; Old Norwegian
spelling: ætt Herræiðar a mic?

68 Dynna, runic `mar' = mær "girl" [ http://www.arild-
hauge.com/innskrifter1.htm ].

> JORMUNGAND'S FANG BOUND WITH ODIN'S WISDOM FOR HEIMDALL'S

TASK -


Runic: toni[hooked-a]rmukats : (meþ) uitsku oþis butin :
tiluirkifnis himtalaR
Classical Icelandic spelling: tönn Jörmungands, (með) vizku Óðins
bundin, til verkefnis Heimdallar.

`tönn' is just "tooth". Does anyone know if there was a more
specific word like English `fang'? Lots of alternatives for wisdom,
some with slightly different connotation, e.g. með froeði,
vitrleiki, vitsmunum, speki, svinnu, koenleiki... I wonder if this
is a suitable word order `með vizku Óðins bundin' and whether it's
more convincing with or without `með'. Eggjum (Norway, c. 800
according to Gordon) has: nis solu sot uk ni sakes stain skorin =
Né's sólu sótt ok né saxi steinn skorinn "this stone is not reached
by the sun, nor is it cut with knife." But the word order, e.g. the
position of `steinn' may owe something to the needs of the
alliterative metre. In the Rök stone inscription there´s even a
verb interposed in the middle of a genitive phrase: hwar hestR séi
GunnaR "where the steed of Gunnr [the steed of War, or the Valkyrie
Gunnr, i.e. wolf] sees. Which isn't the normal prose order, but
sometimes happens for effect in Latin, Greek, Gothic and Old
English. You really need someone more familiar with the
inscriptions than me.

Llama Nom