Jelling Kirke and Mounds
 Vejle commune, central Jutland, Denmark

The Jelling Church


Jelling Church with mound
Jelling church and Thyra's mound, Denmark
photo Elroy Christenson 2016
Gorm's small stone  Gorm small stone side 1
 painting of Old Gorm
Gorm's stone to Thyra Old Gorm, painting from the 1800's

The Jelling Church and mounds are UNESCO World Heritage sites since 1994.  "Old Gorm" King of Denmark first established the importance of this site by burying his wife here in a pagan mound.   He marked the occasion with the stone above which states, "King Gorm made this monument to his wife Thyra, Denmark's ornament".  The church and location probably was more prominent in the past.  It now is off the main roads and has a museum nearby the explain the excavations and history.  Originally the church was centered in a palisade of timber with many small buildings for the population of the town.  It has long since deteriorated but location is marked by white pole markers to get some idea of the scale.  Harald "Bluetooth" built several similar fortresses in Denmark to help cement his hold on the countryside.

Jelling church interior Old Gorm marker
Interior of Jelling church, 
photo by Elroy Christenson 2016 		floor marker for burial spot of
"Old Gorm" King of Denmark
photo by Elroy Christenson 2016

Harald "Bluetooth" Gormssen had apparently buried his father in a mound to the left of the church photo below.  He later moved his body from the pagan mound to the interior of the church.  Thyra may have also been moved.  There have been at least three churches here over the past 1000 years which all burned due to lightning.  The last church and excavations have found Gorm's burial location and marked it with the silver line embedded in the floor near the altar.  [UNESCO World sites]

Harald "Bluetooth" perhaps had intended to be buried here as well but his son put his body somewhere in the Roskilde Cathedral.  Harald did, however, state the importance of this place with large runic stone photographed below.  The stone is visible to the left of the path near the church.   On it he states,
"King Harald bade these memorials to be made after Gorm, his father, and Thyra, his mother. The Harald who won the whole of Denmark and Norway and turned the Danes to Christianity."
These stones are revered as the birth certificate of the Danish nation.  These stones are difficult to photograph due to the reflections from the protective glass.  While exposed to the elements they also were subject to vandalism from "taggers" and have deteriorated in recent history compared with earlier photos. Gunhild Gormsdatter, Harald I "Bluetooth"s sister may have had more influence by giving birth to several kings of Norway. She was known for her beauty, power, scheming and magic.

 See Cheryl's connection to Old Gorm.
See Elroy's connection to Harald "Bluetooth" through his son, Svein I "Forked Beard"



Jelling church with stones
Jelling Church with ruins stones on top left of path, Vejle, Denmark
photo Elroy Christenson 2016


Jelling stone of "Bluetooth"   "bluetooth" side 2
Harald "Bluetooth" Jelling stone,  side 1 and 2,   953-965 AD
photo Elroy Christenson 2016

Recently archaeologists have discovered 400 Iron Age houses in the area near Jelling.  This shows that this region was important in very early history of Denmark. There is evidence of rebuilding the same types of structures over a period of generations in the same location. Tools, living habits are continuing to be studied and should give further information about this rather unknown period of Danish history about 300-600 CE.  [Western. 10/26/2017]


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