Runestone
Name	Einang stone
Country	Norway
Region	Gardberg site
City/Village	Fagernes
Produced	4th century
Runemaster	Gudgjest
Text - Native
Proto-Norse: (Ek go)ðagastiz runo faihido
Text - English
(I, Gu)dgjest inscribed the runes
Other resources
Runestones - Runic alphabet Runology - Runestone styles
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The Einang stone (Einangsteinen) is a runestone located near Fagernes, Norway, notable for the age of its runic inscription.

[edit] Description

The Einang stone bears an Elder Futhark inscription in Proto-Norse that has been dated to the 4th century. It is the oldest runestone still standing at its original location, and it may be the earliest inscription to mention the word runo, "rune." Here the word appears in the singular and is still used in the original sense of the word as meaning "secret."^[1] Additionally, the word faihido, typically translated as "inscribed" or "carved," has the literal meaning of "painted."^[2]

The Einang runestone is located within the Gardberg site.

[edit] Inscription

Composite photograph of the inscription

The inscription reads:

(Ek go)ðagastiz runo faihido

Which translates as:

(I, Gu)dgjest inscribed the runes

The first four letters have not survived and are conjectured, the personal name may have been Gudagastiz, or similar.

[edit] References

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