Vimose comb

Comb · Funen, Denmark · c. 140–160 CE

Draft content, not yet reviewed.

A worn brown comb with a rounded top. Runes are cut into the top, between three holes. — The Vimose comb, with its runes cut into the rounded top.Roberto Fortuna and Kira Ursem, National Museum of Denmark · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Read it rune by rune

Rune 1 of 5

harja

Shown left to right in reading order, in the standard rune shapes used on this site. On the object, the shapes, spacing, and direction can differ. Dashed runes are damaged or uncertain. Text: RuneS database: Vimose comb

What it says

Harja

Most often read as "warrior," or a name with that meaning

RuneS database: Vimose comb

The object

Object: Comb RuneS database: Vimose comb
Found: Vimose, Funen, Denmark RuneS database: Vimose comb
Date: c. 140–160 CE RuneS database: Vimose comb

Reading it

The comb carries five runes, read harja.
RuneS database: Vimose comb
What harja means is debated. The RuneS database lists eight interpretations. The one it rates as likely is a name meaning "warrior," someone who belongs to the army. Others read it as a word for the comb itself (the thing for the hair), as the name of the Harii tribe, or as other personal names.
RuneS database: Vimose comb