COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—The Guardian reports that a reference to the Norse god Odin has been identified on a gold bracteate by runologist Lisbeth Imer of the National Museum of Denmark. The inscription reads, “He is Odin’s man,” and may refer to a king or overlord. The bracteate, a type of thin, ornamental pendant, has been dated to the fifth century, making the reference to Odin 150 years older than the one found on a sixth-century brooch in southern Germany. The object was part of the Vindelev hoard, a 1,500-year-old collection of more than two pounds of gold artifacts discovered in western Denmark in 2020. “It’s one of the best executed runic inscriptions that I have ever seen,” Imer said. To read about the excavation of a "god house" in which Odin and other Norse deities were worshipped, go to "Around the World: Norway."
