ᚼᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏᚱ ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛦ
‘King Harald’ in runic script
On the shores of an island in northern Germany, surrounded by the waters of the Baltic Sea, amateur archaeologists recently discovered a horde of artifacts directly related to King Harald, otherwise known as Harald Bluetooth.
| The find suggests that the treasure may have been buried in the late 980s – also the period when Bluetooth was known to have fled to Pomerania, where he died in 987.
“We have here the rare case of a discovery that appears to corroborate historical sources,” said the archaeologist Detlef Jantzen. Bluetooth is credited with unifying Denmark. The Viking-born king also turned his back on old Norse religion and introduced Christianity to the Nordic country. But he was forced to flee to Pomerania after a rebellion led by his son Sven Gabelbart. |
My interest in Pomerania stretches back to my maternal great-grandparents, who were born in Kreis Bütow, an area controlled by Bluetooth through vassals. Study of DNA, using samples provided by me and my maternal uncle, show a strong Viking influence in our blood.
ajh
AARON HILL’S NOTEBOOK 