The Kuli Stone
The Kuli Stone
The runic inscription on the Kuli Stone the earliest known mention of the name «Norway» on Norwegian soil. I addition, the inscription provides early proof that people had converted to Christianity.
The Kuli Stone was originally found on the island Kuli in Smøla municipality; an area where Christianity took hold early.
On one of the stone’s broad sides, there is a carving of a cross, while runic inscriptions run along the narrow sides. The stone is damaged near the top, which means that the inscriptions could have been longer.
80 runes are preserved, and the current interpretation is:
Tore and Halvard raised this stone after Ulfljot
Christianity had been in Norway for twelve winters
Dating
The stone has previously been dated to 1034 AD, based on our knowledge of how Christianity spread throughout the country. Recently, researchers have suggested that the stone can more accurately be dated to the mid-900’s.
Norway's Documentary Heritage
Norway's Documentary Heritage is the Norwegian part of UNSECO’s Memory of the World Register; a list of the world’s most important documents. The Kuli Stone was included on the list in 2012.
The Kuli Stone is an irreplaceable cultural heritage monument that tells us how the new religion had found foothold in parts of the country, and that the name Norway (nuriki) had emerged as a name for certain regions.
