Hørning The rune stone

In 2023, an identical copy of the Hørning Runestone was made and it now stands in the square behind the old town hall. The original stone is on display at the Moesgaard Museum in Aarhus.

Locally, there has been a desire for many years to get the original stone back to the town. It soon became clear that it was not possible, but now the citizens of Hørning have got a similar stone that can remind them of the area's past.

The runes on the Hørningstenen
The runestone is from 970-1020 AD. and with runes it says:

"Toke Smed raised the stone after Troels Gudmund's son, who gave him gold and salvation/freedom".

The runes on the stone tell a slightly different story than many other of the rune stones we know.

The inscription suggests that this is a slave who has excelled and earned his freedom and even been rewarded. Another explanation could also be that it is part of a story about a Viking from the higher families who had a child with a slave woman. The son Toke has then been given special status and expresses his gratitude on the rune stone.

Found by the stone
In 1849, the farmer Jens Mortensen finds the runestone in his field between Hørning and Århus Å. The local provost Peder Mikkelsen Schinnerup hears about the find and the runestone is set up in the armory of Hørning Church. From here the stone has a long journey until it can be seen today at the Moesgård Museum. 

Updated by: Denmark's Most Beautiful  | turist@skanderborg.dk