The Jelling Stones When Gorm the Old put up the first of these two runestones for his wife, the land was pagan. They’re under glass these days. A little church has stood beside them for a thousand years. His son put up the second, bigger stone: Harald Bluetooth, thinking of his parents. And this stone says he made Denmark and Norway his, made the Danes Christian. There is Christ entangled on its face above those runes, yet folks have thought of Odin on his tree to see Christ, arms outstretched, thus trapped in curls. The bright paint’s almost gone, but those who read the runes or images will learn of Harald. Another face shows what may be a snake, a lion in its toils. The runes beneath do not interpret. And the little church can’t tell you who these creatures are. They stood beneath the sky of Jutland long enough to shed the meaning they once had. The snake may have the upper hand, but they’re not done. John Claiborne Isbell Since 2016, various MSS of John’s have placed as finalist or semifinalist for The Washington Prize (three times), The Brittingham & Felix Pollak Prizes (twice), the Elixir Press 19th Annual Poetry Award, The Gival Press Poetry Award, the 2020 Able Muse Book Award (twice) and the 2020 Richard Snyder Publication Prize. John published his first book of poetry, Allegro, in 2018, and has published in Poetry Durham, threecandles.org, the Jewish Post & Opinion, and The Ekphrastic Review. He has published books with Oxford and with Cambridge University Press and appeared in Who’s Who in the World. He also once represented France in the European Ultimate Frisbee Championships. He retired this summer from The University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley, where he taught French and German and coached men’s and women’s ultimate. His wife continues to teach languages there.
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October 2024
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