The interpretation of the text was based on a collaborative effort between researchers from multiple disciplines, including archaeology, philology, and the history of religion.
Some passages from the Stone speak of battles that took place over the course of a century. However, the researchers suggest that the text could be describing a different kind of battle unrelated to warfare, such as “the conflict between light and darkness, warmth and cold, life and death.”
Before the Rok runestone was erected, there were also a number of strange events that happened during the creator’s lifetime, which could have “seemed extremely ominous.”
“A powerful solar storm colored the sky in dramatic shades of red, crop yields suffered from an extremely cold summer, and later, a solar eclipse occurred just after sunrise,” said Bo Graslund, a co-author of the study and a professor of archaeology at Uppsala University.
“Even one of these events would have been enough to raise fears of another Fimbulwinter,” Graslund added, referring to “The Great Winter” in Norse mythology that lasted for three years and marked the coming of Ragnarok, which was a series of events that would give rise to the downfall of civilization.
The study was published in Futhark: International Journal of Runic Studies.
