Scandinavian scientists said Wednesday they have identified the oldest known inscription referencing the Norse god Odin in part of a gold disc unearthed in western Denmark in 2020. Researchers hailed the discovery of the 1,600-year-old treasure as a “absolutely amazing discovery.” ”

Lisbeth Imer, a runologist at the National Museum in Copenhagen, said the inscription represented the first solid evidence that Odin was worshiped as early as the 5th century, at least 150 years before the oldest known reference, which was on a brooch found in the southern Germany and dates from the second half of the 6th century.

The disc discovered in Denmark was part of a hoard containing about 2.2 pounds of gold, including large medallions the size of saucers and Roman coins made into jewelry. It was unearthed in the village of Vindelev, central Jutland, and nicknamed the Vindelev Treasure.

Experts believe the cache was buried 1,500 years ago, either to hide it from enemies or as a tribute to appease the gods. A golden bractate, a type of fine, ornamental pendant, bore an inscription that read: “He is Odin’s man,” probably in reference to an unknown king or overlord.

“It’s one of the best executed runic inscriptions I’ve ever seen,” Imer said. Runes are symbols that the first tribes of northern Europe used to communicate in writing.

Odin was one of the main gods of Norse mythology and was frequently associated with war and poetry.

More than 1,000 bracteates have been found in northern Europe, according to the National Museum in Copenhagen, where the treasure discovered in 2020 is on display.

Krister Vasshus, a specialist in ancient languages, said that because runic inscriptions are rare, “each runic inscription is vital to understanding the past.”

“When an inscription of this length appears, that in itself is surprising,” Vasshus said. “It gives us some pretty interesting information about religion in the past, which also tells us something about society in the past.”

Researchers said it took a long time to decipher the inscription because it was so old and worn. The text is also written without spaces between words and in a language that is more than 1,500 years old, which has evolved significantly since then, they said.

“Not only has the structure of the language evolved enormously since the 4th century, but many words have also fallen out of use,” Vasshus said. “Normally we find short and very similar runic inscriptions, but this time the text is long and consists almost exclusively of new words.”

During the Viking Age, considered between 793 and 1066, the Norse men known as Vikings undertook large-scale raids, colonization, conquests, and trade throughout Europe. They also reached North America.

The Norse worshiped many gods and each of them had various characteristics, weaknesses and attributes. Based on sagas and some rune stones, details have emerged that the gods possessed many human traits and could behave like humans.

“That kind of mythology may take us further and make us re-investigate the other 200 bracteate inscriptions that we know of,” Imer said.