Faroe Islands museum unveils runestone found on Sandur

A runestone and other artefacts excavated earlier this year at Sondum on Sandur were shown to the public for the first time at the National Museum of the Faroe Islands. KVF reported that the inscription on the stone was also published for the first time.

The event drew a large crowd. Archaeologists at the museum had made a preliminary reading of the inscription after the stone was found, but asked rune specialist Lisbeth M. Imer to produce a more precise translation. She read it as: “…isle (x) rests here.”

There may be a G before the name, according to the museum. Gisle was a common Nordic name in the Middle Ages, but the identity of the person named on the stone is unknown. Available records from the period do not mention the name.

The runestone is the first found in the Faroe Islands in 20 years. Visitors were surprised by its small size.

Most of the other artefacts are believed to be connected with religious activity and date to around 1400. They include a figure of Mary and an object made of basalt that archaeologists believe was a “kola”. The building uncovered at the excavation is thought most likely to have been a medieval prayer house.