Jelling stones
| Jelling Mounds, Runic Stones and Church | |
|---|---|
| Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List | |
Jelling stones, in their glass casing (2012)
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| Location | Denmark |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iii |
| Reference | 697 |
| UNESCO region | Europe and North America |
| Coordinates | 55°45′21″N 9°25′10″E / 55.75583°N 9.41944°ECoordinates: 55°45′21″N 9°25′10″E / 55.75583°N 9.41944°E |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1994 (18th Session) |
The Jelling stones (Danish: Jellingstenene) are massive carved runestones from the 10th century, found at the town of Jelling in Denmark. The older of the two Jelling stones was raised by King Gorm the Old in memory of his wife Thyra. The larger of the two stones was raised by King Gorm's son, Harald Bluetooth in memory of his parents, celebrating his conquest of Denmark and Norway, and his conversion of the Danes to Christianity. The runic inscriptions on these stones are considered the best known in Denmark.
The Jelling stones stand in the churchyard of Jelling church between two large mounds. The stones represent the transitional period between the indigenous Norse paganism and the process of Christianization in Denmark; the larger stone is often cited as Denmark's baptismal certificate (dåbsattest), containing a depiction of Christ. They are strongly identified with the creation of Denmark as a nation state and both stones feature one of the earliest records of the name "Danmark" (in the form of accusative "tanmaurk" ([danmɒrk]) on the large stone, and genitive "tanmarkar" (pronounced [danmarkaɽ]) on the small stone).
After having been exposed to all kinds of weather for a thousand years cracks are beginning to show. On the 15th of November 2008 experts from UNESCO examined the stones to determine their condition. Experts requested that the stones be moved to an indoor exhibition hall, or in some other way protected in situ, to prevent further damage from the weather.
In February 2011 the site was vandalized using green spray paint, with the word "GELWANE" written on both sides of the larger stone, and with identical graffiti sprayed on a nearby gravestone and on the church door. After much speculation about the possible meaning of the enigmatic word "gelwane", the vandal was eventually discovered to be a 14-year-old boy with Asperger's Syndrome and the word itself was meaningless.
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