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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Runes on Viking stones speak to an ancient queen’s power

Analysis of carved inscriptions more than 1,000 years old suggests the prominence of the Viking queen Thyra.
The Jelling 2 Stone, raised by Harald Bluetooth in commemoration of his parents.

A memorial stone raised by King Harald Bluetooth of Viking-era Denmark commemorates his parents, Gorm and Thyra. Credit: Roberto Fortuna/National Museum of Denmark (CC BY-SA 4.0)

A queen named Thyra might have been the most powerful person of Viking-age Denmark1.

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Nature 622, 435 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-03107-1

References

  1. Imer, L. M., Åhfeldt, L. K. & Zedig, H. Antiquity https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2023.108 (2023).

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