Gudme on the Oslofjord? (original) (raw)

There are three farms in the Oslofjord area called Gudum/Gudim. The paper discusses these three sites, located at Botne (Vestfold), Rakkestad (Østfold), and Skiptvet (Østfold), respectively, in the light of their archaeological and toponymic contexts. While the importance of Gudme and the Gudme complex on Funen for our understanding of the interrelationship between religion and political power and its manifestation in the landscape in Late Iron Age society is considerable, there is little to suggest that another ’Gudme’ awaits us on any of the above-mentioned sites in eastern Norway. Gudum at Skiptvet seems to be a marginal farm in almost all respects, while Gudum at Botne, although located far from the areas of Vestfold where archaeological finds and monuments are clustered, at least has an important overland route nearby. Gudim at Rakkestad has more to offer, archaeologically speaking, but still appears to be a relatively minor site in comparison with those in the moraine areas further north and further south. It is worth noting that two of the three areas in eastern Norway where archaeology and place names really do seem to reinforce each other and suggest central-place complexes, are situated in Vestfold and Østfold. But none of the three Gudum farms in the Oslofjord region are associated with the central areas of either Skiringssal (Vestfold) or Tune (Østfold).