NRK1

Good evening. Today, for all those gathered in front of the TV sets, we have an interview with Professor Larsen, from the department of archeology at the University of Oslo.

- Good Evening, Professor Larsen. (Guy from TV)

- Good evening. (Larsen)

- Professor Larsen, it has been several months since the discovery of Ulf Erikson's alleged grave. During these few months, did you and your team discover something new? (Guy from TV)

- In the last interview I said that urns with ashes had been discovered in the tomb. After several months of work, research and conservation, we can confidently confirm that this is the tomb of Ulf Erikson. (Larsen)

- Professor, did you manage to read the inscriptions on the urns? (Guy from TV)

- Yes, we managed to read the runes on two urns, the others are still a mystery. The first one contains the ashes of Ulf Erikson's wife, Lagertha. The second urn probably contains the ashes of Ulf Erikson's concubine, Hild, mother of Bjorn the Red. (Larsen)

- Probably? (Guy from TV)

- The inscription says it is Hild's ashes, but we don't know her exact social position. She was definitely not the wife of Ulf Erikson. There is no confirmation of this in historical sources or sagas. However, we know that she did exist and that she had children with the first King of Norway. (Larsen)

- So she was a concubine? (Guy from TV)

- Perhaps. She could also be a bed slave, with a slightly higher status than normally encountered. (Larsen)

- Professor, we also got some questions from our viewers, many of them concerned King Horik. Can you tell us something about it? (Guy from TV)

- This is one of those things that is confirmed historically and saga, you can say that ... no, the time of broadcasting your program is too early, and among the viewers in front of TV sets there may be minors. Let me put it this way, it wasn't a beautiful story. (Larsen)

- I understand, and was there anything else besides the urns? (Guy from TV)

- Yes, on the sword that was found on Ulf Erikson's body there was an inscription that we managed to read. (Larsen)

- And what does the inscription say? (Guy from TV)

- ᛁ ᚺᚨᚡᛖ ᚨ ᚺᚢᚾᛞᚱᛖᛞ ᚺᚨᚾᛞᛋ ᚨ ᚺᚢᚾᛞᚱᛖᛞ ᛞᚨᚷᚷᛖᚱᛋ ᛁᚠ ᛁ ᚹᚨᚾᛏ ᛁ'ᛚᛚ ᛁᚾᚠᛚᛁᚲᛏ ᚨ ᚺᚢᚾᛞᚱᛖᛞ ᚹᛟᚢᚾᛞᛋ. It means more or less "I have a hundred hands, a hundred daggers ... if I want, I'll inflict a hundred wounds." (Larsen)

- Thank you, Professor, we will return to the conversation after the commercial break. (Guy from TV)