The pictures on the greater Jelling stone

The greater Jelling stone, with an informative runic inscription mentioning King Harald Blåtand and the conversion of the Danes, is at the core of a large and important archaeological site of the late tenth century situated in the centre of the Danish peninsula. The stone is thought to have been positioned immediately to the south of some sort of church, and between the two mounds ever since that period. The great boulder has three main surfaces, all closely covered by carving. The first face has most of the inscription, which, unusually for runes, is arranged in parallel lines as for a Latin text. The second face shows an animal entwined with a snake, and the third face has the earliest image in Scandinavia of Christ – these two ‘pictures’ can be compared to a diptych since they share a similar border and are connected by a ‘hinge’. Identifying a diptych implies that the two faces must have compatible not antagonistic subjects. It is suggested that the design and carving was controlled by a missionary party from Ottonian Germany, and that in choosing the motifs they used various sources, mostly in the writings of Pope Gregory the Great. Following these early sources, the animal and snake can be interpreted as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. It is likely that Christ is shown ascending to heaven in triumph, so that the two pictures show the Trinity united in celebration of the redemption of mankind.