Golden Horns of Gallehus
The golden horns of Gallehus two were made of gold or drinking Blashörner that were found in 1639 or 1734 Gallehus near Tønder in South Jutland. Dated they are in the year 400 AD ( Germanic Iron Age ), and are among the most famous archaeological finds in Denmark. On them is an early runic inscription is located in north-west Germanic language.
History of the discovery
The precious horns gained a great reputation because of the enigmatic motifs and valuable for Germanic Linguistics runic inscription on the shorter horn. In 1802, the horns were stolen and melted down by a goldsmith and watchmaker Niels Heidenreich. Today, they are known only through drawings ( stitches) and descriptions from the 17th and 18th centuries. Shortly after the theft created replicas of the horns, but not solid gold, like the originals, but gold leaf on silver base. These copies were also stolen in September 2007 from the National Museum in Jelling, but again found two days after the theft.
The longer horn was accidentally discovered on July 20, 1639 by a lace-maker named Kirsten Svendsdatter in Gallehus at Møgeltønder. Later, it gave the King Christian IV to his son Christian. It was restored and entered the Royal Kunstkammer. The most important description of the longer horn provides the universal learned antiquary, Olaus Wormius 1641 in a treatise entitled De aureo cornu, which also includes an engraving of Simon de Pas. The horn measured to be about 52 cm in length, about 71 cm along the underflow had a diameter of about 10 cm at the opening, and weighed about 3.1 kg.
The shorter horn was the Erich Bauer leave on April 21, 1734 in the immediate vicinity of the first locality. The research here is based on the report of the archivist Joachim Richard Paulli of 1734th The exact dimensions of the short horn are unknown, we do know that it weighed more with about 3.7 kg as its longer counterpart. The second, short horn bears the penned in the Elder Futhark runic inscription longer.
Both gold objects are made of an inner horn and several slipped over, decorated with animal and human figures rings. Only the outer rings had a high gold content.
Worms report reveals also that the long horn was already restored to its time.
Motifs
The Gold Horns are equipped with repousse and plastically drawn motifs. There you will find animal, human and star figures, some of which are reproduced on both horns. Some motifs are borrowed from the Mediterranean.
The enigmatic pictures have caused a large number of all uncertain interpretations. Often a connection to the Norse mythology was created by researchers, whereby different human figures on the horns as Tyr, Odin, Thor, rsp. Freyr sought to identify. Others wanted the origins of the images on the Byzantine world relate (Lars - Ivar Ringbom ), discover on the long horn a cryptic runic inscription (Willy Hartner ), or in the ornamentation a refined numerical symbolism, which and to the number 13, the Fibonacci sequence the golden section circles, watching (Heinz Klingenberg ). The interpretations are further complicated by the uncertain accuracy of the available pictures and descriptions.
Runic inscription
The runic inscription in North or West Germanic language was on the shorter of the two horns. The first 26 of the 32 runes are hatched, the other for simple installation. In three places to find a word separator, consisting of four stacked set points. The transliteration of the runes is:
Ek hlewagastiz: holtijaz: horna: tawido
The transcription is:
Ek χleu̯aǥastiz χoltii̯az χorna tau̯iđō / ŏ
Which gives as a translation:
"I, Hlewagastiz ( well, ' the famous guests has '), Holtijaz ( which Holt Related '), made the horn ".
The inscription shows neither specific nor specific North Germanic West Germanic characteristics. They are one matter along with the other inscriptions in the Elder Futhark to still unseparated precursor Nordwestgermanisch.
The three words hlewagastiz, holtijaz and horna form by their same initial sounds an alliteration. The inscription is thus metric and represents the oldest evidence of a Germanic long line is: ek χléu̯àǥastiz χóltii̯az | χórna táu̯iđō / ŏ.
Importance
After Hartner the gold horns were probably made because of the eclipse of the year 413. It is believed a magical purpose. Apparently, should future events - such as an impending doomsday, who announced after damaligem understanding through an eclipse - will be dispelled it.
Reception
Since these findings were already known several hundred years ago, they have been mentioned in the literature often. The most famous poem The Gold Horns ( Guldhornene ) probably dates from Adam Oehlenschläger from the year 1802. Hans Christian Andersen also immortalized her in his poem of 1850 in Denmark since I was born .... 1931, the novel was published, the horns of Gallehus the pastor and writer Gustav Frenssen. Are located at the sites north of Møgeltønder today two memorial stones, reminiscent of the famous horns.