History ETDs
Publication Date
Spring 7-29-2025
Abstract
Sometime in the mid-tenth century on the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, the Viking Age Queen Thyra (d. ca. 958/9) passed away and the epithet Danmarkarbót—Denmark’s Adornment—was skillfully carved onto her memorial runestone. Yet Thyra’s story has been clouded by few and unreliable textual sources, by differing assessments of her familial background that have emerged from those sources, and by misrepresentations of the material culture relating to her. This thesis explores Thyra and her place within the Viking Age Jelling dynasty through textual and material evidence and considers how the construction of both medieval and modern memory work and memorialization and commemorative practice influence our understanding of her and the life she may have led.
Level of Degree
Masters
Degree Name
History
Department Name
History
First Committee Member (Chair)
Timothy Graham, PhD
Second Committee Member
Sarah Davis-Secord, PhD
Third Committee Member
Michael Ryan, PhD
Language
English
Keywords
Thyra, runestones, material culture, Jelling dynasty, memory, Viking Age
Document Type
Thesis
Recommended Citation
Truitt, Jacquelyn. "Secured Through Stone: The Power, Monuments, and Memory of Thyra Danmarkarbót and the Jelling Dynasty." (2025). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hist_etds/434
Included in
Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture Commons, Medieval History Commons, Medieval Studies Commons, Museum Studies Commons, Scandinavian Studies Commons, Women's History Commons