Historical Setting: 793 C.E. Lindisfarne Monastery
This beautiful treasure of Lindisfarne, a magnificent work of art is a gospel now laid out on the sand before me, right in front of the thieves. They were expecting a great hoard of jewels and discover now, that all they have are pages of artwork and inked letters imagining words not even carved as a rune stone. It is opened to the beginning of the gospel, where, amid the scrawls of Latin words, is a great illumination of the Chi Rho. I know these Greek letters are the initials for Christ. Even before the symbol of the cross was venerated, Christians understood the Chi Rho. And now, that is questioned.
“Look” Gunnar, is standing right behind me, seeing this right side up and he wants everyone to take notice of this. “It is a bind-rune!”
Gunnar reaches over my shoulder, with a pointing stick and traces the “x” of the Chi, then the Rho, to show these letters to us as the whole symbol. How does he know this?
“What is a bind-rune?” I ask. That was the word I heard Sjókona say as I was leaving her, “I hadn’t learned the bind-runes,” she shouted at me.
“It is when runes are stacked together to make one meaning. Here is the Gebo,” he points again to the Chi, “It means ‘gift’” And this other, Wunjo is joy.”
What can I say? What can anyone say? We are awestruck by the presence of the holy in this. What do these murderers know of holy? Yet this circle of men is muffed in solemn silence. It is such a quiet that the blood dripping from an unsheathed sword makes a wailing sound as it slides off the blade.
Gunnar speaks for all the men. “This will have to be returned to the place it was.” There are nods and whispered “aye’s” and someone says “keeping it would be a Christian curse on us all.”
Now there is an expectation that the one who brought it out will be the one to return it. Gunnar glances back toward the ruin, then he looks at me, and says to the men, “It should be a Christian slave who returns it. We should dress him up as a Christian brother.”
Is a thrall in a red shirt not already dressed up a Christian? They paw through the booty of silks and satins, deciding what of their loot they will render for the Christian to wear who returns the book.
(Continues tomorrow)
Lazarus Ink 