Words in Wood and Stone: Uses of Runic Writing in Medieval Norwegian Churches

Abstract

This article explores runic literacy in medieval Norway by focusing on the medieval use of runes in churches. The church as an arena of communication generates interaction and overlap between the public and the private, the authorized and unauthorized, the ceremonial and the casual. Runic inscriptions and other forms of graffiti occur both inside and outside Norwegian stave and stone churches. In this article they are examined with regard to their production, presence, and potential reception in the church setting. The functions and meanings of the runic inscriptions within the religious and social space of the church are brought to the fore. The corpus of church inscriptions contributes towards an enhanced understanding of runic textual practices in the Middle Ages.