Mejlbystenen

January 28, 2009 11:17 PM

An inanimate object comes to life: The interactive staging of the thousand year old runic stone Mejlbystenen.

You can download a higher quality version of the movie here.

posted by sveskemus (10 comments total)

Nice! Thanks for posting this.
posted by homunculus at 11:40 PM on January 28

That's nice. I'd soak up more background - these runes, they're Viking?

In stone, that's where I'm a Viking!



?
posted by From Bklyn at 11:44 PM on January 28 [1 favorite]

Very nice, but can't help wondering how his sword floated. I'd want words with my blacksmith!
posted by Abiezer at 11:50 PM on January 28

From Bklyn, yes, they're Viking runes. I tried searching for some more background information on Mejlbystenen but all I could find was in Danish. Maybe the community can help?
posted by sveskemus at 12:49 AM on January 29

.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 12:55 AM on January 29

That was cool!
posted by P.o.B. at 2:45 AM on January 29

They'll disturb the elves and gnomes with that kind of behavior!
posted by markkraft at 5:03 AM on January 29

Tak lille mus.
posted by MotherTucker at 6:11 AM on January 29

That's really a wonderful display; a far cry from the dull shells full of potsherds that museums used to have. The best museums are taking seriously the idea that they are not just repositories for ancient stuff, but also can entertain and educate the public at the same time.
posted by happyroach at 10:42 AM on January 29

Birgit Sawyer's book The Viking-Age Rune-Stones: Custom and Commemoration in Early Medieval Scandinavia lists several rune-stones in Randers (p. 201), but I didn't find any references to Mejlbystenen specifically. The book is a good reference for those interested in late Viking-Age rune-stones in general, though.

Great post - thanks so much for this. I have a long-standing interest in rune-stones and Viking history. Endlessly fascinating!
posted by velvet winter at 11:53 AM on January 29