‘Rune Rede’ comes to Orkney

May 16, 2015 at 12:28 pm

Dr Ragnhild Ljosland (right) with Dr Sarah Jane Gibbon, who will present a talk on the runestone found — Dr Ragnhild Ljosland (right) with Dr Sarah Jane Gibbon, one of the Rune Rede guest speakers. Dr Gibbon will present a talk on the runestone found at Naversdale, Orphir, in October 2013.

Experts on runes are heading to Orkney next week to discuss the 56 runic inscriptions that have been found in the county to date. Of these, four have been found since 2001.

The Rune Rede is being led by the University of the Highlands and Islands’ Centre for Nordic Studies and runs from Thursday, May 21, until Saturday, May 23.

Before 2014, the annual event took place in Sweden, but at last year’s Rune Rede, in Boston, USA, Dr Ragnhild Ljosland, Dr Alexandra Sanmark and Dr Andrew Jennings suggested it could be hosted in Orkney in 2015.

A day of research presentations and discussions tomorrow, Friday, will be followed by a day of visiting runic inscriptions on Saturday.