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Harald Bluetooth (Old Norse Haraldr blátǫnn, Danish Harald Blåtand) was king of the Danes from around 958 to about 986. He was the son of Gorm the Old and Thyra – and one of the first kings under whom many small lordships became a coherent Danish realm.
His most important monument stands at Jelling: the great Jelling Stone, often called the "baptismal certificate of Denmark". Its runic inscription names Harald's deeds in the briefest form and is one of the proudest self-portrayals of the Viking Age. The stone also bears the oldest known depiction of Christ in Scandinavia.
"King Harald had this monument made … who won all of Denmark and Norway for himself and made the Danes Christian."after the inscription of the great Jelling Stone (public domain, own translation)
Harald was an organiser of power. To him are attributed the mighty ring fortresses (Trelleborg, Fyrkat, Aggersborg and others) – perfectly circular strongholds that bundled administration, military and control. The strengthening of the Danevirke and the Ravning bridge also belong to his time. And he promoted Christianisation – a political as well as religious change.
The most surprising afterlife: the wireless technology Bluetooth is named after Harald – because, like he once united Denmark and Norway, it was meant to connect different devices. The logo is a bind rune of his initials in the Younger Futhark: ᚼ (Hagall, H) and ᛒ (Bjarkan, B) laid over each other. So a Viking king sits inside billions of devices.
Harald Bluetooth is the rare case of a Viking king almost everyone "uses" daily – and a prime example of how runes, power and history reach right into our present.
Cnut the Great · The Danevirke · Trelleborg – Harald's ring fortresses · Hedeby · Rollo of Normandy.
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