A Note on the Whitby Comb Runic Inscription

Abstract

THE Whitby Comb1 was ‘found with other old things in 1867, in the kitchen-midden belonging to the old monastic family (house) at Whitby’.2 Page gives the following description of the object:3 ‘This comb was made of at least three bits of bone, the teeth cut from one or more plates which rivets held to the two side-pieces split from cattle ribs. Both ends and most of the teeth are lost, and also part of the beginning and all the end of the runic inscription which ran along one of the side-pieces.’4 What remains of the runic inscription can be transliterated in 28 units:5 In its main outline the interpretation of the text6 is not controversial. Runes 1–8 represent the Latin invocation deus meus ‘my God’. The remainder of the text is Old English. The form helipæ7 is probably the present subjunctive of helpan ‘help’ in the third person of the singular and means ‘may (he) help’.8 Runes 27–28 cy are the beginning of a name like Cynewulf for whom assistance is requested.9 The remainder of the inscriptional text represents the subject of helipæ: god is undoubtedly the word for ‘God’, and aluwaludo calls to mind the term alwalda, which is regularly used with reference to ‘God’.10 According to Page, the ‘sense is clear enough as far as it goes’, and his translation is fully acceptable: ‘My God: may God Almighty help Cy-’.11