A gold disc unearthed in Denmark has changed experts' understanding of Norse mythology. The bracteate, which was found in the village of Vindelev last year, bears the inscription, "He is Odin's man," providing the earliest reference yet to one of the primary gods in the pre-Christian pagan belief system that was key to Viking society. Before this, the first mention, on a brooch discovered in Germany, dated to the second half of the 6th century. "This is the smoking gun for Odin's presence in Scandinavia as early as the 5th century," Simon Nygaard of Denmark's Aarhus University told NBC News on Wednesday. "In the proper sense of the word, it's historic."
The disc was found along with other artifacts, which experts suspect was buried about 1,500 years ago, including Roman coins fashioned into jewelry and large medallions totaling more than two pounds of gold. It was first displayed at a museum nearby; experts have just recently been able to examine the disc and confirm it represents a mention of Odin at least 150 years earlier than previously documented. They said "Odin's man" probably was a king or overlord, per the Guardian; "Jaga" or "JagaR" also is inscribed. "It's one of the best executed runic inscriptions that I have ever seen," said Lisbeth Imer of the National Museum in Copenhagen.
The significance of the find goes beyond the date. The discovery "can tell us something about the relationship people had with their gods and possibly even how divine rulership was organized in Scandinavia at this time," said Krister Vasshu, a linguist who helped with the project. Odin was part of several belief systems in northern Europe, dating to before this disc was made, some of which held him to be the father or ruler of the gods; Thor was his son. The National Museum says that more than 1,000 bracteates have been discovered in the region, but few include runic inscriptions. (More Norse stories.)
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