TanmarkaR bòt. A new interpretation

Abstract

TanmarkaR bøt - A New Interpretation

In support of Hans Brix's theory (that the title of honour at the end of the inscription on the minor Jelling stone must refer to Gorm, not to Thyre) the reading bøt (instead of but) is proposed. The word but was nearly always normalized as bod, which was translated into 'repair', 'amendment', 'advantage', 'benefit' and the like.

As several other honorary surnames, such as (Erik) Þexla ('axe'), (Sigmundr) spärr ('spear'), are names for hand weapons (cf. also the title of baron, from berja ('beat')), the theory is offered that bøt is the East Scandinavian form of the earlier form baut, derived from Old Norse bauta, 'beat' (known from Dan., Swed., Norw. bautasten, literally 'cutting­stone'; by comparison Dan. munk may either be a very big stone, occurring in the field, or a large hammer, from munke, 'beat'.

Thus Old Norse baut (gen. bautar) and bøt in runic Danish are both honorary names given to great warriors; on the minor Jelling stone bøt is applied to Gorm by himself.

Old Norse baut developed into Dan. bød, which with the suffix -il, denoting the instrument, will make bød(d)el, 'excutioner'. This person, however, was better known as the man who punished criminals by beating them in public, since public executions have always been rarer than public beating.

Words in Danish dialects, such as bødle, 'beat', confirm this theory. In the Middle Ages the Danish word bød(d)el was confused with the loan-word Middle Low German bodel (from a different root), meaning 'beadle', 'commander', 'officer of justice'. The Swedish word bödel (<*bötil <*bautil) is another instance of the influence of the M. L. G. loanword bodel. Parallel instances of the influence of similar loan-words are mentioned.

Johan Lange

Oversættelse: Ulla Vedet