Danish Runic Inscription 66

Mask Stone
Rundata ID	DR 66
Country	Denmark
Region	Jutland
City/Village	Aarhus
Produced	c. 1000
Runemaster	unknown
Text – Native
Old Norse : See article.
Text – English
See article.
Other resources
Runestones – Runic alphabet Runology – Runestone styles

Danish Runic Inscription 66 or DR 66, also known as the Mask stone, is a granite Viking Age memorial runestone that was discovered in Aarhus, Denmark. The inscription features a facial mask and memorializes a man who died in a battle.

The runestone is famous for bearing a depiction of a facial mask and an Old Norse runic inscription describing a battle between kings. There is insufficient evidence to establish which battle the inscription refers to, but the Battle of Svolder and the Battle of Helgeån have been proposed as candidates. The mask depicted has been explained by the Moesgård Museum as "probably intended to be protection against evil spirits." Other inscriptions using a facial mask, which was a common motif, include DR 62 in Sjelle, DR 81 in Skern, DR 258 in Bösarp, the now-lost DR 286 in Hunnestad, DR 314 in Lund, DR 335 in Västra Strö, Vg 106 in Lassegården, Sö 86 in Åby ägor, Sö 112 in Kolunda, Sö 167 in Landshammar, Sö 367 in Släbro, Nä 34 in Nasta, U 508 in Gillberga, U 670 in Rölunda, U 678 in Skokloster, U 824 in Holms, U 1034 in Tensta, and U 1150 in Björklinge, and on the Sjellebro Stone.

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