Vadstena bracteate

The Vadstena bracteate (or rather bracteates since there are two of them) is a gold bracteate found in the earth at Vadstena in 1774. A goldsmith was about to recycle the gold by melting the bracteate but was stopped by a local clergyman. The bracteate is believed to have been minted at the end of the 6th century. In the middle of the bracteate is a four-legged animal with a man's head, and in front of this chimera, a bird separated from the other image by a line. The bracteate is most famous for containing a full listing of the Elder Futhark Runic alphabet. The entire inscription reads:

ᛚᚾᚹᚨᛏᚢᚹᚨ ᛬ ᚠᚢᚦᚨᚱᚲᚷᚹ ᛬ ᚺᚾᛁᛃᛇᛈᛉᛊ ᛬ ᛏᛒᛖᛗᛚᛜᛟ[ᛞ]

luwatuwa fužarkgw; hnijepRs; tbemlngo[d]
The last rune (d) is hidden below the necklace holder piece that has been molded on top of the bracteate, but archaeologists know what it is because a duplicate bracteate was found in 1906, also at Vadstena. The first part of the inscription is not yet understood but is assumed to be associated with magic.

See also