After_Stand These Runes

Abstract

The passport identifies the holder through various material details and serves as a non-verbal rite of passage. The inside cover of the Danish passport features a depiction of Christ from the Jelling Stone – a monument raised by King Harald Bluetooth in 925 CE symbolizing Denmark’s transition to Christianity. But once you look past the initial political message, the embedded motifs and runes carry ambiguity, mysticism and multiple layers of meaning where even the gesture of language itself become more significant than the message.