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Recent article on an older find
Harry Potter and the Viking rune-stone
Published: 28 December, 2007
A PIECE of sandstone, inscribed with mysterious ancient runes, is to become the focus of a new exhibition after being installed at Dunbeath Heritage Centre more than ten years after it was discovered by local schoolchildren.
Pupils from the village school were asked along to the centre to celebrate the return of the centuries-old Portormin rune-stone which could be one of the earliest signs of Viking activity in the area.
Mounted on sandblasted oak and set against an artistic interpretation, the stone slab will now become a highlight in the centre's stylish new extension which is expected to be open in time for the start of the new tourist season.
The stone first came to light in September 1996 when four Dunbeath youngsters – Dianne Allan, sisters Debbie and Susan Grant and Jenna Sutherland – found it on their local beach.
They had been playing near the harbour and found the slab above the high-water mark. After they brushed away a covering of sand, letters eight inches high were revealed which the girls recognised after doing a project on the Vikings.
Nan Bethune, chairwoman of the Dunbeath Preservation Trust, recalled: "The boulder itself was ready to split. If the children hadn't found it when they did, it would have been destroyed by the sea.
"It has taken us a long time to have the stone installed because it had to be stabilised professionally. We owe a lot to the school for its good teaching and to the children for finding it and recognising its value."
Earlier this year the trust received ÂŁ6000 from Highland 2007 for the conservation, interpretation and display of the stone. The grant also funded workshops led by Professor Mike MacMahon, of the University of Glasgow, for local schoolchildren.
Although the meaning of the runes is still an archaeological puzzle, research carried out by Prof MacMahon indicates that it could be someone's name or a grave-marker.
Mrs Bethune explained: "We haven't got a simple translation. We could have Old Norse, Anglo-Saxon and Latin all in the one inscription if you really want to try hard enough.
"Three of the letters are very early indeed, and not what we'd expect to find here. Either we have an alphabet that's never been recorded, a mixture of alphabets, or there's something there that we don't quite understand because these letters are much earlier than the Viking futhark [alphabet]."
One tentative translation, used by designer Tim Chalk in his artistic interpretation of the stone, is that the eight marks mean hrafn-claw or raven-claw – an interesting idea to many youngsters for its Harry Potter connection. Ravenclaw is one of the four houses at Hogwarts School in the books by J K Rowling.
Dunbeath Primary School pupils (left to right) Ryan Milne, Meghan Lyon and Kurtis Taylor with the Portormin rune-stone. A tentative translation of its markings is that they spell out hrafn-claw or raven-claw – which would give it a Harry Potter connection.
No evidence of other lettering has been found on the stone but glacier scratches and a curved line can be seen. The line, similar to markings found on a stone at Jarlshof in Shetland, could indicate the keel of a boat.
"To make that claim is interpretation at its furthest extremity, but there's certainly something odd about that line," Mrs Bethune said.
"It doesn't go with the rest of the scratches – it's curved and has a definite dot."
The spot where the stone was found on the beach is obviously not its original location – polystyrene was found underneath it.
The heritage centre is currently in the advanced stages of a major ÂŁ150,000 expansion which includes the development of a new study area and museum store.
A variety of new exhibits will be housed in the extension next year, including a bronze sword which came from Lynegar, near Watten, and a second-century Roman coin found at a broch near Stirkoke.
Mrs Bethune explained: "We have, in our own quiet way, been making certain that the treasures found in Caithness remain here. We have always tried to be innovative and different, and we are interpreting Dunbeath's story in its local and national context using unusual means."
A former schoolhouse, the centre already exhibits the Ballachly stone, a seventh-century Christian stone carving also discovered in 1996, as well as a number of objects and artefacts relating to Neil M Gunn, the locally-born author.
The centre, which will try to achieve accredited museum status next year, is also used as a venue for lectures, storytelling and workshops.
kenb
Harry Potter and the Viking rune-stone
Published: 28 December, 2007
A PIECE of sandstone, inscribed with mysterious ancient runes, is to become the focus of a new exhibition after being installed at Dunbeath Heritage Centre more than ten years after it was discovered by local schoolchildren.
Pupils from the village school were asked along to the centre to celebrate the return of the centuries-old Portormin rune-stone which could be one of the earliest signs of Viking activity in the area.
Mounted on sandblasted oak and set against an artistic interpretation, the stone slab will now become a highlight in the centre's stylish new extension which is expected to be open in time for the start of the new tourist season.
The stone first came to light in September 1996 when four Dunbeath youngsters – Dianne Allan, sisters Debbie and Susan Grant and Jenna Sutherland – found it on their local beach.
They had been playing near the harbour and found the slab above the high-water mark. After they brushed away a covering of sand, letters eight inches high were revealed which the girls recognised after doing a project on the Vikings.
Nan Bethune, chairwoman of the Dunbeath Preservation Trust, recalled: "The boulder itself was ready to split. If the children hadn't found it when they did, it would have been destroyed by the sea.
"It has taken us a long time to have the stone installed because it had to be stabilised professionally. We owe a lot to the school for its good teaching and to the children for finding it and recognising its value."
Earlier this year the trust received ÂŁ6000 from Highland 2007 for the conservation, interpretation and display of the stone. The grant also funded workshops led by Professor Mike MacMahon, of the University of Glasgow, for local schoolchildren.
Although the meaning of the runes is still an archaeological puzzle, research carried out by Prof MacMahon indicates that it could be someone's name or a grave-marker.
Mrs Bethune explained: "We haven't got a simple translation. We could have Old Norse, Anglo-Saxon and Latin all in the one inscription if you really want to try hard enough.
"Three of the letters are very early indeed, and not what we'd expect to find here. Either we have an alphabet that's never been recorded, a mixture of alphabets, or there's something there that we don't quite understand because these letters are much earlier than the Viking futhark [alphabet]."
One tentative translation, used by designer Tim Chalk in his artistic interpretation of the stone, is that the eight marks mean hrafn-claw or raven-claw – an interesting idea to many youngsters for its Harry Potter connection. Ravenclaw is one of the four houses at Hogwarts School in the books by J K Rowling.
Dunbeath Primary School pupils (left to right) Ryan Milne, Meghan Lyon and Kurtis Taylor with the Portormin rune-stone. A tentative translation of its markings is that they spell out hrafn-claw or raven-claw – which would give it a Harry Potter connection.
No evidence of other lettering has been found on the stone but glacier scratches and a curved line can be seen. The line, similar to markings found on a stone at Jarlshof in Shetland, could indicate the keel of a boat.
"To make that claim is interpretation at its furthest extremity, but there's certainly something odd about that line," Mrs Bethune said.
"It doesn't go with the rest of the scratches – it's curved and has a definite dot."
The spot where the stone was found on the beach is obviously not its original location – polystyrene was found underneath it.
The heritage centre is currently in the advanced stages of a major ÂŁ150,000 expansion which includes the development of a new study area and museum store.
A variety of new exhibits will be housed in the extension next year, including a bronze sword which came from Lynegar, near Watten, and a second-century Roman coin found at a broch near Stirkoke.
Mrs Bethune explained: "We have, in our own quiet way, been making certain that the treasures found in Caithness remain here. We have always tried to be innovative and different, and we are interpreting Dunbeath's story in its local and national context using unusual means."
A former schoolhouse, the centre already exhibits the Ballachly stone, a seventh-century Christian stone carving also discovered in 1996, as well as a number of objects and artefacts relating to Neil M Gunn, the locally-born author.
The centre, which will try to achieve accredited museum status next year, is also used as a venue for lectures, storytelling and workshops.
kenb
