Bjerring Church

In the porch a rune stone is displayed, which was first discovered in 1996, when the floor of the church was being restored. At 2.25m, the stone is among the largest rune stones ever found. As a secondary function, it had been used as a doorstep to the church. Whether this usage may be explained by the emphatic desire to literally tread paganism underfoot, or by a wish to help the pagan ancestors enter into eternal salvation, is the subject of passionate debate by the experts. Part of the text was lost when the stone was cut to fit its new function in the floor of the church, but the National Museum’s runologists have been able to decipher this much: “Thorgun, Karlung’s/Karung’s daughter raised [this] stone in memory of Thore, her husband, Tholf’s son, from St-... And Tue Smed, his kinsman, cut [this stone]. [May this] stone ... from this place, and (?) ... Ingulfr(?)” ...  As the stone was found so close to Bjerringhøj, it is tempting to think that it might be Thore who was buried in the mound. There is also a remarkable coincidence of name with the stone in Asmild Church, just 20km west of here, and the early members of the Thrugot family. In addition to the runic text, the stone is also decorated with a mask in the Mammen style, which is not often seen on rune stones, but interestingly also appears on the Skjern stone, 14km northeast of here. On the other hand, masks are often shown on other forms of handicrafts from the Viking age, and they are seen on several items from both the Mammen grave and on the casket fittings that formed part of the treasure trove found in the village of Mammen. In the mask on the rune stone were remnants of red lead, which was used as a pigment, so it would have had a bright orange appearance. The stone is on display in the church porch, which is open.