Thread: Scandinavian culture, history, language etc. etc.

When we look around our society we see a world of twisted and perverted values, we see crime and violence glorified in movie and music, we see dishonesty and betrayal held forth as honorable patterns of behavior. In establishing an identity for ourselves we must of course, have our own values through which we can judge and assess the world we live in.

Many folks today who seek a truer identity than what mainstream society promotes make use of the Nine Noble Virtues, these are guidelines or admonitions and not dogmatic legalisms. These are ideas drawn from our own history, they character traits found in the wisdom of the eddas and saga.

Here is one version below:

COURAGE: Boldness, bravery, standing up for what you believe in and know is right.

HONESTY: Truth - In all things be trú to yourself and to others.

HONOR: Do as you say and act upon your convictions. "Always" honor your oaths!

TROTH: Loyalty to yourself, family, folk, friends and the Gods & Goddesses.

STRENGTH: Self rule, self mastery, the self control and discipline to govern yourself by your convictions.

HOSPITALITY: To freely share your gifts with others.

INDUSTRIOUSNESS: To work wholeheartedly both hard and intelligently. To keep thinking and growing as a person.

SELF RELIANCE: Free standing. Rely on others as little as possible!

PERSEVERANCE: Don't give up at what you do until you feel it is completed and done well.

another similar set of ideas is found in the 14 codes of Aryan ethic

14 codes of Aryan ethic

1
Honor no gods but those of your own Folk,
As alien gods destroy you.

2
Nature’s laws evidence the divine plan,
As the natural world is the work of All-Father.

3
Act nobly and courageously,
Always carefully considering the consequences,
As the effects of your deeds live on after you pass from Midgard.

4
Live within the reality of this life; fear not your fate,
As fear is for fools and cowards;
A valorous man boldly faces what the Norns decree.

5
Love, protect, reproduce and advance your Folk,
As natural instinct prohibits miscegenation and self-destruction.

6
Be honest, be disciplined, be productive and loyal to friends,
As the Aryan spirit strives for excellence in all things.

7
Treasure your history, heritage, and racial identity,
As your ancestors have entrusted,
It falls with you, it will rise with you.

8
Honor the memory of your kith and kin,
especially those Who have given their lives of freedom for the Folk,
As your race lives on through your blood and your will.

9
Respect the wisdom of your elders,
As every moment of your lives Links the infinite past with the infinite future.

10
Honor your mate, provide for your children
And carry no quarrel with family to sleeptime,
As family is your purpose and fulfillment.

11
May your word to a kinsman be a bond of steel,
As your troth is your dignity and strength of character.

12
Be cunning as the fox with enemies and Skraelings,
As their goal is your extinction.

13
Secure, defend and cherish your homeland,
As Nature’s Territorial Imperative demands.

14
Live in harmony with Nature and the Folk
And compromise not with evil,
As racial survival is your perpetual struggle.

One of my greatest interests are the runes. Every people have their unique symbols, that stir their mind and speak to their heart. The runes are one such symbol set of our folk.

I wrote this short "primer on the younger runes" for some friends, but I will share it here. While it assumes a general knowledge of the runes and Northern mythology, anyone can easily Google a term and clarify anything written here.

Quickly, while there are many different variants of Runic systems, in general there are four main classifications. Elder, Younger, Anglo-Saxon, and then the Armanen runes as developed by Austrian mystic Guido von List. This short primer focuses on the 16 Younger, or Scandinavian runes. You can find examples of different rune systems here at Arild Hauge's website.

These interpretations are not from the "scholarly" point of view, but rather the experiential views of someone who meditates upon the runes daily, practices rune yoga as developed by the early 20th century German mystics and so forth.



A Younger Runes Primer
by Mike Wolf

During the Viking age the twenty four runes of the elder futhark were reduced to a set of sixteen runes. Here are some basic ideas for each rune below.

Fe is the fire of the folk soul, and it is the generative principle in nature, the cosmic fire that interacted with Ice and activated the great Ginnungagap from which life emerged. It is a rune of the Vanir, representative of the Lord and Lady of the folk, Frey and Freyja. Fe symbolizes wealth and prosperity, not such wealth as found in the world today that originates in greed and selfish lust but rather the prosperity of the individual, family, and tribe that comes when all parts of the whole are well functioning. Fe is the state wherein the six-fold goal and noble virtues are expressed within the community.

Ur is that which works against the movement of Fe when it is un-harnessed. Ur is that which Fe shapes and forms. It is the primal layer of things flowing forth from Urd’s well. Thus Fe in its prosperous expression results from consciously applied will directing the Ur substance, energy etc., not at all unlike Wotan, Villi and Ve turned against the natural order and fashioned one of their own design.

In the reduction of the elder runes from 24 to the 16 runes we have in the younger system, Ur took on the meanings of the Wunjo and Othala runes also. The wunjo rune is one of joy and prosperity. It is the close bond of kinfolk passing the mead horn, thus this adds to the relation of the Fe rune. Ur is the deep wellspring of tradition within our hearts that rises to the surface when interaction with Fe occurs. Othala is a rune of ancestral might and sovereignty, in its Ur relation this is the power of the land we dwell upon, both land we claim and ancestral land. It is the safety of ones homestead.

Thurs means giant and can be beneficial or not. In the lore surely giants are such, some fight against the gods others have allied with the gods such as Skadi. Thurs is an intricate rune, it is closely connected to Ur in the primal origin sense, yet it is a very present rune as it represents chaotic forces working against the manifest world. In our creation lore nature brought forth giants who birthed the gods who turned and slew giants, yet, in the end called Ragnarok the giants rise up and fight the gods, the world is destroyed only to be reborn, the gods too are reborn as are human beings in the form of Lif and Lifthrasir, and of course where there are gods there will be giants, why else would Magni and Modi inherit Thor’s Hammer Mjolnir? All of this and more is within Thurs.

Aass is the olden-father and chieftain of Asgard and leader of Valhalla says the Icelandic rune poem. This is the rune of Wotan, the shape of the stave brings to mind images of Wotan with cloak billowing behind him, perhaps also its downward slanting lines in imitation of Wotan swinging upon Yggdrasil and reaching down to take up the runes. This is the wise-one, or Vitki’s rune, those who seek wisdom should study it often. This is a rune of the self for those who follow the path of Wotan.

Reidh means chariot and represents very old concepts. In Scandinavian rock art from the bronze age chariots, along with ships, are often found, both representing motion, movement, traveling, distance etc., it was believed the sun and moon were drawn through the sky by chariots, the Trundholm sky chariot is an example. For those who travel between worlds Reidh is a vehicle for the journey, Reidh can carry you safely through the cycles of life as well as the path of initiation into wisdom.

Kaun Thorsson calls a rune of creativity and controlled fire of the pyre, forge, hearth and harrow. In the personal sense Kaun is desire as that which fuels our deeds. In the movement from the elder to younger runes Kaun took on the meanings of the g rune Gebo and the ng rune Ingwaz. Gebo means gift, hospitality and such, in fact, the stave shape seems as if holding something out or up in a giving manner, as in giving gifts to the gods, whether mead, ale, blood, giving is the Wotansvolk way. Kaun relating to Ingwaz puts it into the realm of the god Frey (Fro-Ing) Kaun is the seed planted, as in thoughts subconsciously, that soon burst forth new life, thus it is a rune both of the gestation period as well as the Fe manifestation to come.

Hagall is the cosmic seed form as Thorsson terms it. The shape of Hagall shows the pattern upon which all awareness is gained through our directional orientation of above, below, before, behind, right, left, and the center. This patterning we experience on a personal level yet it is at the same time the cosmic level, Midgard as center, light-elf home and Asgard above, dark-elf home and Hel below, the Giants world before (east) the Vanir realm behind (west), Muspell-home and Nifel-home to right and left (south and north) are the realms of cosmic fire and ice, symbolically speaking of course…perhaps, perhaps not.

Naudh is a need-fire and represents friction, opposing motion and so forth. On the personal level it represents both the self-determined and directed will as well as the guts, heart, bravery, courage, perseverance etc. needed to harness and control this force with efficiency. Naudh is also an aspect in the manifestation of Fe in that Naudh is the friction of personal dynamics within the self, the family, the tribe that generate right-action according to the six-fold goal and nine noble virtues that bring about a dynamic stability.

Iss means ice and is the opposite of the cosmic fire of Fe. Iss is a limiting power whereas Fire is an expansive power. On the personal level ice represents concentration which is a limiting of attention, focus, powers etc. to achieve a desired end. It is in the power of ice fueled by the fiery energy of desire that yields unlimited potential for us. On the personal level fire is the ancestral impulse welling up from the depths of our soul (urd), ice is the disciplined self that strives to live according to Wotansvolk values, customs, and being true to the gods and goddesses (verdandi), is great ginnungagap of the “what may become” (skuld).

Ar is a rune of cycles and harvest. Ar took on the meanings of the Jera rune when reducing the elder runes to the younger system. It symbolizes the cycle of the year, the movement of sun and season, it holds both the key to good planting, steady growth and good harvest, as well as the wisdom to store that which is needed until new crops are harvested. Ar is a rune of balance, harmony etc., it can be used to aid the ebb and flow of life and help one break free from low-points, hitting rock bottom, times of seeming stagnation and similar ideas. Ar raises awareness of the cyclic nature of life as expressed within nature itself and in our own lives. Ar is a catalyst for the manifestation of all the runic powers. Ar is the fullness of our cycles of giving/receiving with the gods, with the spirits of the home, and our ancestors.

Sol is the sun, and like the sun it is a life giving and sustaining rune. Its power is warming and maternal, yet can manifest in sharp and sudden, seemingly harsh ways at times but always leading into greater understanding and wisdom. On the path of initiation Sol is a guiding influence.

Tyr is the one-handed god, and the leftovers of the wolf, and the ruler of the temple says the Icelandic rune poem. The Tyr rune is one of justice. Justice within the community and on a greater cosmic level. The Tyr rune is one of strength, and inner determination, particularly with regard to acts of sacrifice or service for the greater good, as in the example of Tyr sacrificing his right hand to bind the wolf Fenris, and thus for a time, ward off Ragnarok. This is the rune of the Thing or law-assembly over which Tyr presides. The Tyr rune can be helpful in obtaining justice against wrongs down to you, justice, not vengeance, be certain you are in the right before invoking the powers of Tyr.

Bjarkan is a rune close to Freyja, it holds deep magic, the mysterious workings of wyrd, the birth, life, death, and rebirth cycle, literally and as indicating a process of ever-becomingness in deepening wisdom. Bjarkan is a rune of deep initiation yet not in the Wotanist pattern of Ass but one more resembling Seidr and the ways of the Vanir. Recall of course in Ynglinga saga than Freyja taught Seidr to Wotan.

Madr is the rune of humanity. The shape of the stave strikingly resembles a person with warms upraised as in calling the gods. This is the rune of ancestral might and the shape of the stave should remind us that the gods are our eldest ancestors and as such we honor them with our gifts. From forming the first human beings to birthing kingly lines, the gods have an ongoing interest in human beings. Can the great awakening of Wotansvolk today have any cause other than the gods themselves calling us awake?

Logr means water. Water is needed for life. Our bodies are mostly water. Without water we die. Simple. When we are born we emerge from water and begin to breath air. Logr is also the flowing water from the interaction of cosmic fire upon cosmic ice that flows into the great potential of Ginnungagap. Among the nine worlds there are many rivers that must be crossed in journeying from world to world. On the personal level, such rivers represent barriers to cross in our own inner work, journeying within the realms of our own being, barriers such as a fear, an insecurity, a self-limiting pattern, such things must be waded through no matter how strong the current seems.

Yr is the world tree Yggdrasil, it is the multiverse, notice also that the Yr rune and Madr rune are the same, just inverted from each other. From trees human beings were fashioned and from the great tree Yggdrasil human beings will emerge when the worlds are renewed after Ragnarok. Yr is the summation of the runes on their level of cosmic principles, yet it is also the source of the runes in a regenerative aspect, for all is within the tree and even though the tree is gnawed at, may rot in places, even be engulfed in flame, the tree survives, and thus life renews.

Saga:

The word means story, or tale - tales of the people living in scandinavia houndreds of years ago. There were several types of sagas:

1. Islendingesoger, tales of the dramatic life on Iceland.
2. Kongesoger, tales about the great kings, from Harald Hårfagres time and onward.
3. Riddersoger, translations of foreign tales.
4. Fornaldersoger/lygesoger, adventurous tales of heroic figures who lived in the past.

Realistic sagas: As opposed to the more entertaining Riddersoger and Lygesoger, the Islendingsoger and Kongesoger were about actual events. Islendingsoger were tales of strong men, strong women and dramatic actions.

Islendingesoger: What would set these sagas apart from other sagas was that Islendingsoger were written by, and about common people. People from all walks of life. We still don't know how these sagas came about. We don't know who the authors are. The actual writing of these sagas started in the 1200's, but the events documented there date back several houndred years before that time.

Today, we know of 29 Islendingsoger, of varying size. The largest are Njålsoga, Egils soga and Laxdølasoga. Of the shortest are Soga om Gunnlaug Ormstunge and Soga om Ravnkjell Frøysgode.


Kongesoger:

• Ågrip, which means «a section of», is the name of the oldest norwegian history we know of in the norrøn language. The book is small and was written in Nidaros in the 1190's.
• Sverres soge was also written in Norway. This saga defends the controversial king Sverre. It consists of two parts; one written by Sverre himself, and the other after he was dead.
• Heimskringla is the largest saga from the norrøn age, written by Snorre Sturlason. The book talks about norwegian kings up to the year 1177, when Sverre became king.
  
  • The sagas are about:
  • The kings from Halvdan Svarte, the father of Harald Hårfagre, to Magnus Erlingsson.
  • Olav den heilage (The largest part; it fills over a third of the complete work)
  • The book received the name Heimskringla from the opening words in the book, Kringla himsins, which can be translated into "the world circle". The book was also called Noregs kongesoger (Norway's king sagas).
  
  

Riddersoger (Knight Sages) Norway was not isolated from Europe in the 1200's. Foreign impulses which reached our shores included romanticized stories about the knights of Europe.

• Strengleikar were a series of love stories translated from french to norwegian. Norway received both these stories and dance from Europe. The norwegian royalty were also affected by this, and Håkon Håkonsson translated Strengleikar and several other books because of his interest in literature. The tale of Tristan og Isolde was translated into the Soga om Tristram og Isond, for instance.
• Kongespeilet was another book written by The book was about life at the castle, and was a sort of instruction manual. Ideals such as behaviour, justice and the correct attitude were addressed in the book.

Popular literature: Fornaldersogene, also called lygesoger were fictional stories often exaggerated, with sex and violence, superheroes and villains. The stories took place in Norway, Iceland and Gardariket in a distant past. These stories were ment as entertainment. They were written in Iceland from around 1200 till the start of the 1300's.

An example of a Fornaldersaga, from the swedish nationalist artist, Saga! ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfbRGZlj6eg

this is a great post about Sagas. As Knut points out they were stories, histories etc. that were written down but before this many of these were "oral tales", these stories were a part of a living and vibrant tradition, our tradition or our folkway. Forn Sed (old custom) Nordisk Sed (Nordic custom) or Folktro (folk custom) are some terms we could use to describe such a folk way. Other terms like Asatru (true to the Aesier, Odin, Thor, Frigg etc) Vanatru (true to the Vanir, Njord, Freyr, Freyja etc) that people can encounter investigating these matters are terms that tend toward a religous meaning whereas the former express a cultural rather than mere religous idea. I like the term Forn Sed myself, which has often kept me at odds with the modern day Asatru movements etc. they say "it's a religion" I say "it's a way of life and cultural inheritance". Quite two different things. Religion can be part of the latter, but the former can never contain the fullness of the latter.

Gathered around the hearth fire or in the mead hall, the skalds would tell these tales and the gathered folk would hear them. We've lost this aspect of our families and communities with our high definiton televisions and video games. Foreign religions and new age philosophies have replaced the native wisdom of our folk.

We see traces of this however, when family comes together at Christmas and other times of the year, when the closeness of kinfolk stirs our hearts and taps into memories of days past, we naturally tell stories of those who are no longer with us, we remember them warmly and talk about their deeds. It is a natural impulse within us.

There is a great power within the stories of our people. When I give my rune workshops between the general facts of archaeology etc. I tell the elder stories, I tell the tale of Odin hanging himself upon the great tree Yggdrasil in his quest for the runes, I tell the tale of Odin ransoming an eye at Mimir's well for a drink of the waters of wisdom and so forth. With passion and great emotion I stand and tell the tales and I see how deeply they touch and move the listeners. They are not foreign tales, they are nothing exotic and outside of ourselves, they are our own, imprinted upon our memory by their telling over centuries by our forefolk. A great power lies hidden within them. Through these tales, through the Sagas we hear the voice of our ancestors, and they tell us about themselves, and more importantly, they tell us who we are.

A nice book that tells some tales is The Northern Path by Douglas Dag Rossman. It is a retelling of tales from the Poetic Edda and inlcudes the Beowulf story also. What I like about the book so much is that Mr. Rossman is a true living Skald, he has been telling these stories to live audiences for over 30 years both here in the USA and in Europe. Thus, he writes from a point of view from within the living tradition of story telling. It's a great book for a first experience with Northern Mythology.

Here are the Icelandic Sagas online
Home - Icelandic Saga Database

I like Egil's Saga the best, he was a warrior and poet, runemaster and more. It is an exciting Saga. It is filled with fighting and if you're like me and enjoy warrrior arts and such, you'll really like Egil's Saga.

I like Ynglinga Saga from the Heimsrkingla
OMACL: Heimskringla: The Ynglinga Saga

and of course, I like my own Family Saga. Over 12 volumes passed to me from my grandmother that contains typed and handwritten stories, many her recollections, others are tales told to her by her Norwegian uncle, John Taraldsen, who used to visit us often in the US until his death in the 1980's. I enjoyed his stories so much, hearing talk of all my family in Norway stirred my imagination and my blood. As he told stories something welled up from deep within me. An identity. A connection with a past. An inheritance of countless generations.

such tales hold a power truly beyond description.

Great post Knut

A few dates to put scandinavian history in perspective:

• The first human settlements (our ancestors) in Scandinavia existed 11.000 years ago.

• The first settlers belonged to the Fosna-Hensbacka cultures, where the Fosna was in Norway, and the Hensbacka culture was centered around Sweden.

• The Fosna in particular used arrows, spears and boats to hunt seal and fish.

• Petroglyphs (rock engravings) dating back 5.000 years are found in Sweden and Norway, and depict wild animals and human exploration. Later carvings 2000–500 BC depict agriculture, warfare, advanced ships and domesticated animals.

• More permanent settlements developed during the Bronze Age (1,800 BC to 400 BC) and Iron Age.

• From 800–1066 there were significant expansions in Scandinavia. During this period, called the viking age, Norwegians, as well as Swedes and Danes, traveled abroad on longships, as raiders, explorers, settlers and traders.

• The Swedes expanded east into Russia and all of Eastern Europe. Norwegians expanded west towards Britain, where you can still find direct decendants of viking settlers. Danes (and Swedes) also expanded south into the heart of Europe.

• The Black Death arrived in Norway in 1349, killing perhaps half the population.

humor...

YouTube - ‪norway folk dance‬‎

YouTube- ‪the finnish rob halford‬‎

I love the rock art pics, I am fascinated by it. In my rune workshop I begin with rock art. There is a great stream of continuity from the imagery in rock art to the runic tradition, while the images changed the essential meanings were retained. Ship, wagon-cart, humans, elk, etc. all the rock art symbols and meanings are retained in rune meanings. Raidho/Reidh=chariot, wagon etc., Mannaz/Madr=man, humanity etc., of course ships must have water so laguz/logr=water, lake etc., it's a fascinating task to sit and compare the two symbol systems.

this was a fun quiz
Quiz - Norrøn mytologi - Aftenposten.no
I got 14 out of 15 but hey, my Norwegian reading is not perfect!

haha, fun quiz

one of my rune poems, this one for the 24 elder runes.

Fehu is fire flowing freely,
Wealth found in faith, family and folk

Uruz shapes and forms
Casting tradition among the folk

Thurisaz power overcomes
Nothing can bind the awakening

Ansuz breath inspires
Gods and folk united in blessing

Raidho turns and turns
Nature initiates through her dance

Kenaz lights the way
Ancestral fire awakens sleepers

Gebo a gift for man and gods
Right order is maintained

Wunjo is joy and feast
The folk grows when family thrives

Hagalaz holds and preserves
Lore is living and evolves

Nauthiz drives the true folk heart
Focused will brings liberation

Isa brings all into view
Concentration displays its wonders

Jera shares nature’s bounty
Always turning toward ripe fields

Eiwaz is the great world tree
Do you know its roots?

Perthro is not lot-cup’s chance
The wise understand consequence

Elhaz is the mighty elk
Great horns weave protection

Sowilo is the glory of the sky
A bright painted shield is the warrior’s friend

Tiwaz a moments flash like lightning
What shall you leave for the wolf?

Berkano’s a comfort like a warm embrace
Who do you become in your lover’s arms?

Ehwaz soars through the worlds
Visions received to share with the folk

Mannaz first formed from ash and elm
Given gifts to be like gods

Laguz can flow or become a bridge
Life’s fury brings wisdom

Ingwaz is secrets in seed contained
What will you plant for the folk not yet born?

Dagaz brilliance all is transpiring
The tradition flows from you

Othala is victory for the folk
Our kings and our lands restored

In todays society too many think in terms of just feeling good. If it feels good do it. That seems to be the motto. Our forefathers did not just think in terms of feeling good. Sure, they enjoyed themselves when they could, but that was not the meaning of life for them. They lived for something greater than themselves.

I think this quote sums up what they thought of to be a good life:

Cattle die, and kinsmen die, and so must one die oneself. But there is one thing I know which never dies, and that is the fame of a dead man's deeds.
-- Old Norse Proverb

"Thor's Hammer" Found in Viking Graves

"Thor's Hammer" Found in Viking Graves

This is very interesting stuff. I believe the attraction our folk have here in the USA toward ghost hunting, the paranormal, psychics etc. all stem from a natural impulse within them based on a deep unconscious desire to return toward our elder folk ways. Their modern interests prove that their souls are longing for something more meaningful than American society.

YouTube - HULDUFÓLK102 demo reel

A great but short video. Note the skill and craftsmanship of the artifacts, it is beautiful work from a truly Noble Folk.

YouTube - The Burial Mounds of Gamla Uppsala

The norwegian languages:

As established by law and governmental policy, there are two official forms of written Norwegian – Bokmål (literally "book language") and Nynorsk, (literally "new Norwegian").

I speak Bokmål - Knut Hamsun

Two other written forms without official status also exist: Riksmål ("national language"), which is to a large extent the same language as Bokmål, but somewhat closer to the Danish language, is regulated by the Norwegian Academy, which translates it as "Standard Norwegian". Høgnorsk ("High Norwegian") is a more purist form of Nynorsk that rejects most spelling reforms from the 20th century, but is not widely used.

A century of independence..

Norway was ruled by Denmark for over 500 years, before being invaded by Sweden. During this period, the Danes converted our population from catholicism to protestantism, changed our language to resemble theirs (bokmål), taxed us and made sure we never had a nobility or upper class. We finally won our independence in 1905, a houndred years after our constitution was written (in 1814), drawing inspiration from the american and french constitutions.

language is so very interesting, here among my close circle of friends we try very hard to avoid words that have say, a latin origin, and because of our interests we have a large inclusion of old norse words, norwegian, swedish, and older english words and phrases that have fallen out of use, things like kith and kin, or might and main, frith and grith and so forth. Maybe one day it will be known as Vinlandic or something like that. haha. maybe not...definitely it seems a unique language is forming among certain groups here in the US.

hi
I know it is not suitable place to write about this, just wanted to share with you something which I found about our (Bulgarian) letters we used before Cyrillic-runes:
this is part of one historical researching by Peter Dobrev

" PROTO-BULGARIAN RUNIC INSCRIPTIONS from Pliska

III. THE PROTO-BULGARIAN CALENDAR
A multiplicity of runic signs was discovered on stone plates in Pliska, but for a long time they remained undeciphered (see L Doncheva-Petkova. Symbols on archaeological monuments of the VII-X cc., Sofia, 1980). It is interesting to try to read these inscriptions with the help of the alphabet of Murfatlar.
1. We begin with two quite short inscriptions, first of them - carved on a roof tile, and second - on a clay brick:

In another place the word IK appears again, this time - written with Greek letters on a building block (see L Doncheva -Petkova, Op. cit., table XXII, Fig. 50).
For a number of eastern peoples (for example, for the Talysh, who once inhabited the river valley of Bulgar-chaj in Caucasus) the term IK means "down, from below". Also in Georgian IK means "here, not far from" and AKE - "there above" (compare to the expression A KI from our first inscription).
It is possible that the words IK and KI in the Proto-Bulgarian inscriptions meant "above" and "under". They appear on building blocks because they directed the builders where a certain item had to be attached. The word A (in the expressions A KI and A IK) in some Caucasus languages means "these" and, therefore, A IK can be translated as THIS - HERE, DOWN, and A KI - as THIS - ABOVE. Similar terms are observed in a number of Pamirian and Dardic languages.
As in many other cases, these Proto-Bulgarian inscriptions are related to two language groups - to the eastern Iranian (with Talysh among them) and to the Caucasus languages.
Important for the final deciphering of these inscriptions are also the Celtic languages, in which the word IK means "something that is put below" (see Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic language, Glasgow, 1982, p. 211), and the expression A KI means "above on the house, on the roof " (see English Cornish Dictionary, Maracion, 1977, p. 207, 221).
2. The following inscriptions from Pliska and neighbouring settlements are not less interesting. On a stone block of a former building appears:

What did these words mean suggest again the Celtic languages. In this language group one still meets the expression HI INNES - THESE - TO THE FRONT. Therefore, this inscription was instructing the builders on which side of the fortress wall to immure this large stone block (see English Cornish Dictionary, p. 309).
3. On another stone block we find the following characters:


This inscription is peculiar in that, first, only the first section of it had been carved, and later - the second section. With the help of the Celtic languages the first part can be translated as: TO JOV - GREETINGS, i.e. to Jupiter - greetings. In Celtic the name of the Jupiter sounds as JOU, and JUS is an acclamation, a call to the Gods. The word IIS, which was added lateral, corresponds to the Celtic JES: I swear!
This inscription is very characteristic. It shows that the Proto-Bulgarian language was close both to the Pamirian and to the Celtic. It should not be to a surprise, since it is known that some of the ancestors of the Celtic peoples - for example the Cimmerians, lived close to Persia in the old times.
4. On a pottery fragment, a part of a roof tile, is the short word KUISI, which in Celtic means a "form, model". In the Cimmerian language the word sounds exactly the same as in our inscription. We do not know why this word was written on the roof tile, but it can be assumed that it served as a model for the production of roof tiles.
5. A stone block from Pliska has the following characters:
= KUTH (rear, hidden) - Celtic
This block was designated for the inner part of a wall, and this fact is confirmed by the inscription.
6. At the entrance of a cave in Kraguevo there are three characters:

The first character is a ligature of the letters H and A. The second one is a version of the letter O, known from other Proto-Bulgarian inscriptions. The third character is the well known AN, found both in Murfatlar and in Kubrat Bulgaria. The special position of AN shows the text is of two words - HAO AN.
In Celtic HA means WITH, so HAO AN could be WITH GOD FORWARD, as a similar Bulgarian expression. So it is possible HAO AN at the cave entry to represent a type of oath. But the fact that the first word is HAO permits another interpretation - among the Iranian peoples there is a greeting such as HAI and HAO, as wish for well-being, luck. Then HAO AN could also mean "I welcome you".
Another interesting detail, maybe hidden intentionally in the inscription: if the two words are read together, the result HAOAN resembles the Celtic word HAUN (entrance to a cave).
7. Another inscription -, is carved on a stone block in Pliska (see L Doncheva Petkova, Op. cit., table XX). It is an Iranian greeting in Proto-Bulgarian environment. It is still kept in this original form - HO, by the Pamir peoples. The beginning character is to be found very frequently as an independent symbol on Proto-Bulgarian sacred items - a series of them is found on a rock in Madara:

It also appears on numerous vessels in Madara (see L Doncheva-Petkova, Op.cit., table XX). These characters point to the spiritual life of the Proto-Bulgarians, to eastern words and special greetings and oaths used by them
8. Still unexplored are also other Proto-Bulgarian inscriptions:

One meets the word AM and various forms of IO and OJI. All these inscriptions were written on roof tiles from Pliska and Madara.
AM is an eastern word for CROSS, the symbol of the cross. The Talysh word AM, which likewise means cross, is similar to the old-Egyptian word for cross ANGH, denoted by a symbol of a cross. It is worth mentioning that a similar symbol of a cross was the ideogram of the term for heaven in all cuneiform scripts (Sumerian, Accadian), although the word for "heaven" was quite different, (see G. Angelova, Morphological and syntactic structures, S., 1984, p. 2).
The Proto-Bulgarian word AM starts with a character resembling a cross. It is because in one of the versions of the Proto-Bulgarian alphabet the letter A resembled cross.
For some peoples of the east the word ANGCH meant not only a cross but also a "character, symbol" and from this came out the term ANT - "OATH". For this reason it can assumed that the expression JOAM meant "holy symbol of JO " (i.e. of Jupiter) and it was carved as a protection on the roof tile.
In those times these oaths were frequently accompanied by a ritual kissing of holy symbols. In the Celtic languages the word AM means a "kiss". It suggests that the expression JOAM referred to an old ritual expression. We meet here both the Celtic word JO (Jupiter) and the Celtic word for kiss. JO AM might mean THE OATH BEFORE JO, THE KISS OF JO or A HOLY SYMBOL OF JO.
It was one of the most difficult and most interesting Proto-Bulgarian inscriptions to translate. The form of the Proto-Bulgarian letter A coincides with the form of the Egyptian cross, but also with the fact that in the Proto-Bulgarian language the holiest ritual - the oath kiss, was called AM. Interesting is also the history of the special form of A as a cross - it was kept in Bulgaria for a very long time, perhaps because of its similarity with the glagolic A. Not long ago a ring with the inscription '+ssenov's ring' (i.e. Assenov's ring) was discovered in the church of the Assen's dynasty "Holy forty martyrs" in Veliko Turnovo. The letter A of this inscription is of exactly the same form as that in the Pliska inscription (see M. Shopova "Car's grave, discovered in Turnovo ", "24 hours", 21.07.1992.). To whom of the Assens the ring belonged still remains to be clarified, it was found in the same gallery where was the grave and the ring of Assen's I brother Kalojan. The ring belonged neither to Assen II nor to another young man of his family but most likely to Ivan Assen I. He choose the old letter for his initial probably because of its resemblance with the Christian cross.
The reference to the Proto-Bulgarian alphabet shows that he did not descend from the Cumans, as by many historians assume, but he was a Bulgarian, a quite learned Bulgarian for his time. The name Assen itself originates from the area the Proto-Bulgarians came from. One meets it in Elam under the form ASSEEN, and in Persia and Parphia - as Ahsen. Assen is not derivative of the Cuman personal name Hassan. In Elamic it meant a 'noble, dignitary', while Hassan is the Arabian form. The Assens had a high opinion of their name and attached it as a symbol of their self-confidence to their personal names: Ivan-Assen, Kalojan-Assen, Mikhail-Assen, Konstantin-Assen.
9. There are more inscriptions of oaths on the rocks around Madara. In the central sanctuary of Madara one finds for example the following short inscription:


The characters pertain to the version of the Proto-Bulgarian writing, common for the areas of Provadija and Targovishte. The word ANN is however well known. It resembles the symbol AN, mentioned already, and it can be connected both to the deity and to the old-Egyptian term ANKH.
The following inscription was carved on rock in Kalugerica HOS. The interpretation is possible from both Iranian and Celtic. In Celtic - from the word HJUS (sacred, magic), and from Iranian - words as HUDO (God) and HASHI (sun).
Another inscription of an oath comes from Madara. The letter L in it is shown in the same way as in Ravna and Krepcha and the deciphering is relatively straightforward:

The first word 'E' means in Iranian and also in Celtic "the", and the second one 'LI' - an "oath" in Celtic. 'E LI' can be translated as "this is an oath".
A rock above Preslav has the following inscription, denoting probably Jupiter - JOV or JOU. Likewise the word TIH above the entry of a cave in Madara, means in Celtic a "cloister, a place of solitude":
= tigh (Celtic)

As we see, there are very many and different in content Proto-Bulgarian inscriptions from the area around the old capital. Contrary to Murfatlar, where almost all inscriptions were religious in content, the writings in this area were used for a number of quite prosaic purposes as well - for marking stone blocks used in fortress walls, or models for the production of roof tiles and clay bricks. The Proto-Bulgarians not only had its own writing, but it was also quite common for the population of the central areas of the country. The use of two versions of the alphabet is a further proof that they had deep roots in everyday's life. "

Regards
elf