Study › Runes & Norse › Messages on Sticks
At Bryggen, the old wharf of Bergen, digs found some 670 runic inscriptions on sticks: the everyday writing of a medieval town.
The Bryggen inscriptions
After a fire in 1955 at Bryggen, the old wharf of Bergen in Norway, excavations found some 670 runic inscriptions on sticks of wood and bone. They are the everyday writing of a medieval town: business letters and orders, prayers, charms and love notes — one simply says "My darling, kiss me." At a time when everyone carried a knife, a stick and a few runes served as notebook and letter.
Read medieval runes and the Younger Futhark.
Questions
How many runic inscriptions were found at Bryggen?
Some 670.
What do they say?
Business letters, prayers, charms and love notes.