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You can see what are thought to be Norwegian runes as a band here on
the lion's right side. Also note all the pockmarks on the lion from
bullets. The pockmarks have partially destroyed the runes.
You can see what are thought to be Norwegian runes as a band here on
the lion's right side. Also note all the pockmarks on the lion from
bullets. The pockmarks have partially destroyed the runes. (Photo:
Bard Amundsen / forskning.no)
Vikings tagged the great lion in Venice with runes
Hundreds or thousands of Norwegian and Swedish Vikings went to the
Mediterranean for 'summer jobs' as mercenaries. They left behind
graffiti.
[1919300]
Bard Amundsen JOURNALIST
wednesday 22. February 2023 - 12:42
'Asmund drew these runes with Asgeir and Torleif and (...) Even
though the Greeks forbade it.'
A thousand years ago, Vikings left their mark on beautiful, old art
from ancient Greece. Some thought it was vandalism. But the Vikings
didn't seem to care much about that.
But how did the runes end up on the great lion of Venice in Italy?
An attentive Swede
At the very turn of the 18th century, the 36-year-old Swedish
diplomat and linguist Johan David Akerblad visited Venice. One day he
was out walking, looking at famous objects and sites in this Italian
city in the heart of the Adriatic Sea.
Annonse
He suddenly noticed something.
On both sides of the large lion outside of Arsenal, Venice's old
naval base, someone had inscribed what the knowledgeable Akerblad was
immediately able to recognize as Scandinavian runes.
Did Vikings really go to Venice to tag ancient art treasures?
They didn't, even though the city had already existed in their time.
The explanation is that the lion had been located in a completely
different place before it came to Venice: the Athens port city of
Piraeus.
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Vikings tagged the great lion in Venice with runes
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Norwegian Vikings
Ever since Johan David Akerblad's time, researchers have assumed that
Swedish Vikings must have been behind the tagging found on both sides
of the lion.
There has been good reason for that, since the runes on the left side
of the lion actually tell of "svear" (swedes) and the runic loop here
is very similar to what can be seen carved into runestones in several
places in central Sweden.
The Icelandic-Swedish rune researcher Thorgunn Snaedal investigated
the Piraeus Lion a few years ago more thoroughly than any previous
researchers have done.
Her study mentions several things that suggest that Norwegian Vikings
may have drawn the beautiful loop with runes on the lion's right
side. This is the one that is visible in the picture at the top of
this article.
The runes on the three-metre high Piraeus lion were carved at a time
when famous Norwegian Mediterranean explorers such as Harald Hardrada
and Sigurd Jorsalfare were alive.
Snorri has written about Sigurd Jorsalfare, who rode in through the
'Golden Gate' (city gate) when he was stopped in Miklagard
(Constantinople) on his journey to Jerusalem in 1108-1111. This
illustration by Gerhard Munthe from 1899 was made for Snorre's book
'Heimskringla'.
Snorri has written about Sigurd Jorsalfare, who rode in through the
'Golden Gate' (city gate) when he was stopped in Miklagard
(Constantinople) on his journey to Jerusalem in 1108-1111. This
illustration by Gerhard Munthe from 1899 was made for Snorre's book
'Heimskringla'. (Illustration: Gerhard Munthe)
Used the lion for shooting practice
In the middle of the 19th century, Carl Christian Rafn, secretary of
the Royal Nordic Society of Antiquaries, was responsible for the
translation of the 'Norwegian' runes on the lion's left side as
describe above. However, the translation is uncertain, as many of the
runes can no longer be read.
The names Asmund, Asgeir (Eskil) and Torleif are still legible.
Annonse
The runic inscriptions on the Piraeus Lion in Venice are about to
disappear. Air pollution, in combination with weather and wind, are
contributing to their slow disappearance.
But Turkish, or perhaps Venetian, soldiers did more damage when they
used the lion for target practice almost 350 years ago. You can
clearly see the bullet holes in the pictures of the lion.
The Swedish researcher Erik Brate's rendering in 1920 of the Swedish
runes on the lion's left side.
The Swedish researcher Erik Brate's rendering in 1920 of the Swedish
runes on the lion's left side. (Photo from Thorgunn Snaedal, 2014)
Thorgunn Snaedal has found clear parallels in the shape of the runes
on the Piraeus lion's left side to Swedish runestones. There are many
runestones in Sweden that mention the Varangians -- the Vikings and
their descendants who went to Byzantium. The person who made this
runestone in Ed, north of Stockholm, describes when he served in the
emperor's guard in Constantinople: 'Ragnvald carved the runes. He was in
Greece, he was the chief of the warrior party.' The runes in
the Urnes style (named after the Norwegian Urnes stave church) shows
that it was crafted at the end of the 11th century or the beginning
of the 12th century.
Thorgunn Snaedal has found clear parallels in the shape of the runes
on the Piraeus lion's left side to Swedish runestones. There are many
runestones in Sweden that mention the Varangians -- the Vikings and
their descendants who went to Byzantium. The person who made this
runestone in Ed, north of Stockholm, describes when he served in the
emperor's guard in Constantinople: 'Ragnvald carved the runes. He was
in Greece, he was the chief of the warrior party.' The runes in the
Urnes style (named after the Norwegian Urnes stave church) shows that
it was crafted at the end of the 11th century or the beginning of the
12th century. (Photo: Berig / Wikimedia)
The Vikings were mercenaries
The Lion of Piraeus actually originates from the Athens port city of
Piraeus.
It was carved out of marble in ancient Greece. The lion is almost
2,400 years old.
Varangians
From the end of the 9th century to the beginning of the 13th century,
a large number of Swedes and Norwegians went to Constantinople
(Miklagard) to serve as mercenaries for the emperors of Byzantium.
They were called Varangians or varings.
The Venetians took the lion from Piraeus in 1688, after wresting
control of the port city of Athens from the Turks in the Ottoman
Empire.
Then, for well over a thousand years, the lion stood as a famous
symbol at the entrance to what in the Middle Ages became known as the
Lion's Harbour in Piraeus. The lion was so famous that the port of
Piraeus was named after it.
The Vikings who had tagged the lion 700-800 years earlier were most
likely Swedish and Norwegian mercenaries -- called Varangians-- in the
service of the emperor in Byzantium.
Some have tried to read the name of the very last Norwegian Viking
king Harald Hardrada (1015-1066) in the runes. But that
interpretation is questionable.
The Emperor's Guard of Norwegian and Swedish soldiers
A thousand years ago in Constantinople, which is today's Istanbul,
and which the Vikings called Miklagard ('Great City'), the emperor of
the Byzantine Empire had a bodyguard of Scandinavian mercenaries.
The Varangian guard were known as fearless, strong and daring
soldiers.
They were also known to be ruthless.
The Varangians from Norway and Sweden were exotic figures in
Byzantium. They probably also seemed threatening to many. The
emperor's guard of warriors was probably intended to deter generals
and officers who might want to rebel against the emperor. Byzantine
sources may indicate that they were also used for 'dirty' jobs.
For this, the veterans were well paid. Primarily in the form of
looted goods ( 'geld').
related
The Princess from Kyiv was Norway's last Viking queen
The Princess from Kyiv was Norway's last Viking queen
There were many of them
Leif Inge Ree Petersen is a researcher in late antiquity and early
medieval history at the Norwegian University of Science and
Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. When sciencenorway.no asks how many
warriors went from Norway and Sweden as mercenaries to Byzantium, he
answers:
"There were many of them. And we actually know the names of several
hundred of them," he said.
"Harald Hardrada alone is said to have had 500 men with him,
according to the sagas. We don't know if that's right. But it doesn't
seem unrealistic," he said.
On the Greek island of Chios, next to today's Turkey, is the
monastery of Nea Moni. A mosaic here from the year 1043 depicts the
Roman soldiers coming to arrest Jesus after the apostle Judas has
singled him out with a kiss. When a Greek artist was to portray the
brutal Roman soldiers a thousand years later, Leif Inge Ree Petersen
thinks it's likely he used Norwegian or Swedish mercenaries in the
service of the emperor of Byzantium as models. The axes of the
soldiers are more Nordic than Roman.
On the Greek island of Chios, next to today's Turkey, is the
monastery of Nea Moni. A mosaic here from the year 1043 depicts the
Roman soldiers coming to arrest Jesus after the apostle Judas has
singled him out with a kiss. When a Greek artist was to portray the
brutal Roman soldiers a thousand years later, Leif Inge Ree Petersen
thinks it's likely he used Norwegian or Swedish mercenaries in the
service of the emperor of Byzantium as models. The axes of the
soldiers are more Nordic than Roman. (Image: Princeton University /
Wikimedia)
Examined the runes for 15 days
After examining the runes on the Piraeus Lion in Venice, rune
researcher Thorgunn Snaedal was quite certain that the runes on the
lion were inscribed by three completely different groups of people
from Scandinavia.
Three groups of Scandinavians who hardly knew each other.
Vikings from the north may have vandalised the lion in Piraeus with
runes in three completely different situations.
The oldest carving on the lion's left side -- which Swedish Vikings
were most certainly responsible for -- dates from the 1020s, Snaedal
believes. The youngest carving on the lion's right side -- which
Norwegian mercenaries in the service of Byzantium may have left
behind --may be from sometime between the years 1070 and 1100, or
several decades later.
Snaedal spent a total of 15 days examining the lion's runes.
She went to Venice at three different times of the year, to see how
the light from the sun fell at different angles and cast varying
shadows on the worn runes. Standing on a step ladder, she worked for
hours studying the lion with her eyes and fingers, in the hopes of
discovering more.
Swedish runes on the left side
The oldest runic inscription on the lion's left side gives us an
insight into the perilous life of the mercenaries.
It was drawn in memory of one of the Swedish Varangians' comrades.
The man was named Haursi, who had fallen.
Did he die in the war against the Bulgarians, which the Varangians
helped win in 1018? Or was it while he was probably, like many other
warriors, serving on board one of the ships in the emperor's fleet in
the Aegean? Or perhaps it was in a war against the Arabs in Serkland
that he was killed?
In any case, the text establishes that the 'farmer Haursi' died
before he could collect his rightful share of the war booty.
"For the Nordic mercenaries, it was natural to draw commemorative
words with runes if a close friend or war comrade passed away,"
Thorgunn Snaedal said to Swedish Radio a few years back.
Once upon a time, around a thousand years ago, the Norwegian Viking
Halfdan stood on the gallery in the fantastic Hagia Sofia church in
Constantinople -- at the time the world's largest building -- and left
a tag 'alfdan
drew these runes'.
Once upon a time, around a thousand years ago, the Norwegian Viking
Halfdan stood on the gallery in the fantastic Hagia Sofia church in
Constantinople -- at the time the world's largest building -- and left
a tag 'alfdan drew these runes'. (Photo: Karl Gruenwald / Wikimedia)
'Svear did this to the lion'
The rune researcher also thinks she could read 'Svear did this on the
lion'.
The inscription on the lion may thus be the very oldest text we know
that mentions the word 'svear', meaning Swedes.
Piraeus and Athens were probably much-used resting places for
warriors on their way between Constantinople and the battlefields in
Bulgaria and in present-day Albania. At other times the warriors
fought against soldiers from Serkland (Arabs). Or against Normans in
Sicily. Or they hunted pirates and their treasures on Aegean islands
with the Emperor's blessing.
Snaedal does not want to rule out that the Swedish warriors who carved
the runes on the lion's left side in memory of their fallen comrade
Haursi may have been soldiers in Harald Hardrada's army.
They were unlikely to be particularly skilled runemakers, the rune
researcher said. From Erik Baste's drawing from 1920 further up in
the article, it is clear how they struggled quite a bit to get the
ornamental loop in the commemorative text for their comrade Haursi.
The Swedish runes on the left side of the lion, as they appear today.
The Swedish runes on the left side of the lion, as they appear today.
(Photo: Bard Amundsen)
Possible Norwegian runes on the right
The shortest runic inscription on the lion's left rear is probably
the middle one in time. It simply says 'draengiaR rist runar' 'Young
(warriors) carved the runes'.
Plain and simple, just tagging to say you've been there, many will
think.
The Varangians who carved these runes need not have been Swedish,
Snaedal concluded from the runic letters used.
Were they Norwegian? Or maybe Icelandic?
The youngest of the three runic inscriptions on the lion's right side
consists of around a hundred runes, like the oldest on the left side.
It is carved in a beautiful runic loop and tells us that the person
behind the vandalism of the ancient Greek lion must have mastered
this beautiful form of writing well, Snaedal said.
It is possible to recognise the runic loop in the dragon-like Urnes
style on the famous portal of Urnes stave church.
Urnes is the oldest of Norway's preserved stave churches and dates
from around 1130.
Unfortunately, only 50 per cent of the supposedly Norwegian runes on
the lion's right side are legible, Snaedal says. That's compared to 80
per cent of the Swedish runes on the other side of the lion.
The Norwegian runes were hit extra hard by gunfire in the 17th
century.
related
Now we know who the Vikings had children with
Now we know who the Vikings had children with
Asmund carved the runes
The person who may have been Norwegian and who carved the runes is
called Asmund.
Asmund the mercenary mastered the beautiful ornamentation that
characterised the Viking Age. He must also have been skilled at
runes.
The runes and ornamentation he carved into the lion are complicated
and nicely composed, Snaedal said. The shape of the runes on the
lion's right side tells the researcher that this drawing must have
been made in the latter part of the 11th century.
Was it the Norwegian Varangians who in 1081 participated in the
defence of the city of Dyrrachion (today's Durres in Albania) against
attacking Normans from Sicily?
Or was it the Norwegian warriors who in 1092 went into battle from
Piraeus to put down rebellions against the emperor in Crete and
Cyprus? They may then have been accompanied by English warriors,
fleeing to Byzantium from the Frenchman Wilhelm the Conqueror's
occupation of their homeland.
Thorgunn Snaedal is not surprised that there were skilled runic
warriors among the Nordic warriors who fought for Byzantium. She
hopes that perhaps one day traces of the same talented Asmund will be
found somewhere in the Nordic countries.
But how is it that Swedish and Norwegian Vikings, with perhaps
several decades between each episode, wrote runic graffiti on the
Piraeus Lion from the time of Alexander the Great three separate
times?
We simply don't know.
The Greeks probably weren't happy about graffiti being scratched into
the flanks of the lion of ancient Greece. But there was hardly anyone
who dared to stop the three groups of warriors from the Nordics who,
over intervals of many years, tagged the Lion of Piraeus.
Along with the Lion of Piraeus, the Venetians also took three other
ancient Greek lions with them in 1688, when they succeeded in
capturing the city of Athens from the Ottoman Turks. All four lions
now stand outside the Venetian naval headquarters Arsenal. Note the
symbol of the city-republic of Venice on the wall, the winged Saint
Mark's lion with the Bible in its paw. The reason the Venetians were
so keen to bring home these statues may have some connection to the
city's own symbol.
Along with the Lion of Piraeus, the Venetians also took three other
ancient Greek lions with them in 1688, when they succeeded in
capturing the city of Athens from the Ottoman Turks. All four lions
now stand outside the Venetian naval headquarters Arsenal. Note the
symbol of the city-republic of Venice on the wall, the winged Saint
Mark's lion with the Bible in its paw. The reason the Venetians were
so keen to bring home these statues may have some connection to the
city's own symbol. (Photo: Bard Amundsen / forskning.no)
Translated by Nancy Bazilchuk
References:
Thorgunn Snaedal: Runinskrifterna pa Pireuslejonet i Venedig (The
runic inscriptions on the Piraeus lion in Venice)
Riksantikvariambetet, 2014. (in Swedish)
Omeljan Pritsak: The Origin of Rus. The Russian Review, Wiley, 1977.
(Summary)
------
Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no
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