The Vadstena bracteate (or rather bracteates since there are two of them) is a gold bracteate found in the earth at Vadstena in 1774. A goldsmith was about to recycle the gold by melting the bracteate but was stopped by a local clergyman. The bracteate is believed to have been minted at the end of the 6th century. In the middle of the bracteate is a four-legged animal with a man's head, and in front of this chimera, a bird separated from the other image by a line. The bracteate is most famous for containing a full listing of the Elder Futhark Runic alphabet. The entire inscription reads:
- ᛚᚾᚹᚨᛏᚢᚹᚨ ᛬ ᚠᚢᚦᚨᚱᚲᚷᚹ ᛬ ᚺᚾᛁᛃᛇᛈᛉᛊ ᛬ ᛏᛒᛖᛗᛚᛜᛟ[ᛞ]
- luwatuwa fužarkgw; hnijepRs; tbemlngo[d]
The last rune (d) is hidden below the necklace holder piece that has been molded on top of the bracteate, but archaeologists know what it is because a duplicate bracteate was found in 1906, also at Vadstena. The first part of the inscription is not yet understood but is assumed to be associated with magic.
Both bracteates are presently stored at the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities.
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