English Runic Inscription 2 Explained

English runic inscription 2 (E 2, or Br E2) is a Viking Age runic inscription from the early 11th century, in a coffin of limestone in Saint Paul's Cathedral in London.^[1] The stone is in style Pr2, also known as Ringerike style.^[1] It has remains of dark blue and red colour.^[1] The stone is placed in the Museum of London.^[2]

It is possible that it was made in memory of a Viking warrior who died in service of King Canute the Great,^[3] and the creature on the stone may represent Sleipnir, Odin's eight-legged horse.^[4]

Inscription

Latin transliteration:

k-na : let : legia : st¶in : þensi : auk : tuki :

Old Norse transcription:

G[i]nna(?)/G[í]na(?) lét leggja stein þenna ok Tóki.

English translation:

"Ginna(?)/Gína(?) had this stone laid and (i.e. with) Tóki."

See also

• England Runestones

References

Sources

• Barnes, Michael P. & Page, Raymond I. The Scandinavian runic inscriptions of Britain. Uppsala: Institutionen för nordiska språk - Uppsala universitet, 2006.
• Henrik Williams https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:45442/FULLTEXT01.pdf 2007.
• Henrik Williams: Till tolkningen av personnamnet kina 2004.

Notes and References

1. https://www.nordiska.uu.se/forskn/samnord.htm/?languageId=1 Scandinavian Runic-text Database
2. Web site: Rectangular grave slab: 11th century. Museum of London. 2019-11-29. en. 2019-11-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20191128152303/https://www.museumoflondonprints.com/image/61240/rectangular-grave-slab-11th-century. dead.
3. Simon Keynes: The Burial of King Æthelred the Unready at St Paul’s. W: The English and Their Legacy, 900-1200. Essays in Honour of Ann Williams. edited by David Roffe. Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 2012, s. 141-142. .
4. Forte, Oram, and Pedersen (2005), Viking Empires, p. 73