When Your Earbuds Speak Old Norse

Between 958 and 986 A.D., Denmark was ruled by a man named Harald Gormsson. During his 28-year reign, Harald accomplished some amazing things. He engineered and built circular military camps, called Trelleborg, that showcased his strategic genius. Around 965, Harald converted to Christianity and declared Denmark a Christian nation. He consolidated his rule over Denmark and parts of Norway, bringing relative stability to a region long fractured by conflict. The largest of the Jelling Stones* was his tribute to his parents, Gorm and Thyra. This massive carved runestone celebrates Harald's conquest over Norway and the conversion of the Danes to the Christian faith. Thus, his legacy was literally carved in stone!

Legend has it that Harald may have suffered from a minor disfiguration; one that earned him the nickname: Blátǫnn, meaning "blue-black tooth" or, possibly "dark tooth." Historians continue to debate whether this is true or not, but we can imagine the brave king having sustained a blow to the face that left him with a permanently discoloured tooth. Or, he once had spinach in his teeth and was forever doomed to bear the moniker. Regardless of the origin of the nickname, Harald Blátǫnn's legacy has reached across millennia to become a household word that has nothing to do with conquering nations or influencing their citizens' religious philosophy.

In the old Norse runic alphabet, two runes formed his initials: ᚼ (hagall) and ᛒ (bjarkan)**. Overlay them and you get the bind rune that symbolizes Unity:

Look familiar?

It should! You've probably seen it glowing on your phone, laptop, and headphones often.

Bluetooth technology was officially introduced to the world on May 7, 1998. After almost a decade of development, the Eriksson Hands-free Headset came on the market in 1999, followed soon after by the first Bluetooth-enabled laptop: the IBM ThinkPad.

That's right, folks, a whole generation has now been using this wireless technology, which was named after a medieval king, famous for uniting nations. The developers saw a poetic parallel between Harald’s unification of Danish tribes and their goal of uniting different communication protocols under a single wireless standard.

Same energy. But with a lot less pillaging!

While Harald's reign ultimately ended on a sour note--he was overthrown by his son, Sweyn Forkbeard, and died in exile--Bluetooth technology does not appear to be under any such dire threat.

May our devices continue to be united for many years to come.

*The smaller Jelling Stone was raised by Harald's father, Grom, in memory of his wife, Thyra.

**Bjarkan is the name of the rune in the Younger Futhark. In the Elder Futhark, it is known as Berkana.