Bedboard of pine, carved with pious inscriptions in traditional Icelandic script or 'Höfðaletur'

A single plank of pine, very densely grown, with rings close together. The front face is shallowly carved and stained. A square at the left hand end (approx 17 x 18 cm) is carved with a circle with chevrons in the spandrels. The circle is carved with three lines of lettering A/NN/O, all against a background of diamonds and chevrons. This square is marked off from the rest of the board by shallow v-shaped cuts at top and bottom. The rest of the board is carved with three horizontal bands of lettering, in 'Höfðaletur', the traditional ornamental lettering of Iceland that was developed from Gothic ribbon text. This text was designed to be ornamental. It was difficult to decipher and was not intended to be read by the general reader. The script on this board has been read as including three phrases:
GVD GIEFE OSS GOOD ANO[TT] (God give us a good night)
[G]VD BLESSE MENN OG MVS SOF[NE] (God bless the men (occupants) and the house)
EG SYDANN ROOTT SAELLVER IE MIG I[ESUS] (May I soon fall asleep peacefully, may the blessed Jesus defend me)

Halfway along the length of this section is carved another circle containing the letters IHS intertwined.
On the front face, just to the left of the centre, about two-thirds up the board, five holes are drilled through the board with no apparent function. Three mirror plates are attached for display, two at the top and one at the bottom.

Carved pine bedboards were a traditional element in Icelandic houses from before 1700 until after 1900. In Iceland, beds were built into the structure of the house, as in many rural communities throughout Europe. Bedboards were loose planks that could be placed across the entrance to the bed to keep bedclothes in place. For this reason, they only needed to be decorated on one face. They were often carved by members of the family, or as a present from a young man to his future wife. During the day, they were hung on the wall, to form part of the decoration of the house. In Iceland, the traditional carved motifs such as the lettering on this bedboard, continued in use until after 1850. At that time such motifs were given a new lease of life by the Arts and Crafts movement, led by the enthusiasm of the British designer William Morris for Icelandic folk art. The traditional lettering (Höfðaletur) on this board includes prayers for a good night and safety for the house and its occupants.

135-1908