Learnings: Mannhelgi: A Sacred Space

The Hunninge Stone / 8th cent.

The Norse believed that each person had a sacred, gods-given right to feel secure and at peace. A good way to understand mannhelgi is to think of it in terms of space: each person's spirit was their own sacred place, like a temple. To attack or step into another person's space without asking was act of trespass. It violated not only one person's boundaries, but the mannhelgi of all person's ancestors as well. This meant any insult had to be answered quickly and decisively.

This runestone depicts one such insult being answered. At the top, two men, possibly the Sigurd and Gunnar, King of the Burgundians, are fighting each other to defend their honour and integrity.