Vikings' Secret Code Cracked 89
sciencehabit writes "What may look like mere scratches is much more. A 900-year-old Viking code known as jötunvillur has been cracked. The code-cracker, runologist Jonas Nordby from the University of Oslo, deciphered the system after realizing he needed to replace the original runic character with the last sound used to pronounce it. For instance, the runic character 'k' is pronounced 'kaun,' so k becomes n. Nordby believes secret messages were created by the Vikings for entertainment. One piece of wood reads: 'Kiss me.'"
Real story... (Score:5, Informative)
Fuck beta and the horse it rode in on! (Score:-1, Offtopic)
What is the secret code for "Fuck beta"?
Re:Fuck beta and the horse it rode in on! (Score:0)
"Kiss Me"? Did CmdrTaco write that?
Re:Fuck beta and the horse it rode in on! (Score:5, Funny)
"Eat me, I'm Danish."
Re:Fuck beta and the horse it rode in on! (Score:1)
Eat me, I'm a danish.
Re:Fuck beta and the horse it rode in on! (Score:3)
Re:Fuck beta and the horse it rode in on! (Score:0)
British women are bad at cooking.
Re:Fuck beta and the horse it rode in on! (Score:2)
"My wife Aud left me and changed her name to Anyanka, wtf. Me sleeping wih other village wenches never bother her before. This whole village has changed, people are funky and dying. Encoding because not safe, my blacksmith hammers have ears."
Re:Fuck beta and the horse it rode in on! (Score:2)
Ich bin ein Berliner!
Re:Fuck beta and the horse it rode in on! (Score:1)
Ich bin ein Berliner!
How many Berliners did he think we thought he was?
Re:Fuck beta and the horse it rode in on! (Score:0)
A berliner is a type of donut.
It would be similar to saying 'Ich ben ein Hamburger'
Re:Fuck beta and the horse it rode in on! (Score:1)
Re:Fuck beta and the horse it rode in on! (Score:-1)
Nah, that was Kathleen's code to Nigga Tyrone.
Re:Fuck beta and the horse it rode in on! (Score:2)
"Kiss Me"?
Perhaps this was really the Viking version of Candy Hearts..?
http://refinerymagazine.com.au... [refinerymagazine.com.au]
shut up (Score:4, Insightful)
you know how everyone comes to slashdot for the comments? Well, you also know what's killing slashdot faster than dice? The fucking "fuck beta" crowd ruining every comment thread. You guys are making the comments section even worse because instead of it just being a crappier system, now the content is 50% about how bad beta is.
Re:shut up (Score:-1)
Re:shut up (Score:0)
These clueless $"&1% put 25% of their userbase onto a completely broken discussion system because they thought it needed exposure. Or so they say. I mean, that is something you do when you think your site is ready for prime time.
I mean, I thought the change to the current "classic" system was abysmal. Broken javascript... slashdot idle... stuff didn't work. But it doesn't even compare to the clusterf**!* that is slashdot beta.
They demonstrated that they did not understand the criticisms when beta was first launched. What other idea do you have to get the message across that... well... how do I say it... fuck beta!
Re:Fuck beta and the horse it rode in on! (Score:2)
What is the secret code for "Fuck beta"?
I believe the Slashdot-approved secret code would be "Shpx orgn".
Re:Real story... (Score:1)
Sounds like the viking version of pig latin more than any 'cipher' to me. But I guess you had to be there.
Re:Real story... (Score:2)
Link to summary that links to article that .... (Score:5, Informative)
Ok, dove through the reference-pit and found this [medievalists.net] as the apparent root story.
Please, either mod this up or edit the Slashsummary to actually link to a useful article in the chain.
Re:Link to summary that links to article that .... (Score:5, Informative)
No, this longer piece http://www.forskning.no/artikler/2014/januar/379474 in Norwegian seems to be the source (by Ida Kvittingen). Oddly the photo credit links there.
Beta? (Score:-1, Offtopic)
Re:Beta? (Score:-1, Offtopic)
And fuck you, jackass.
Re:Beta? (Score:-1)
fuck YOU, queerbait.
Re:Beta? (Score:0)
How did you know his donkey's name was Jack?
That or (Score:0)
More likely kiss my ass....
Re:That or (Score:2)
well, Bender did travel through time.
Re:That or (Score:0)
And, "kiss my shiny metal hat" is definitely something a viking could say.
Utility in the American Latin alphabet: (Score:1)
For Commonwealth nations, you may add 'z' to the list.
Re:Utility in the American Latin alphabet: (Score:1)
The cypher (Score:2)
Re:The cypher (Score:0)
Re:The cypher (Score:0)
That's actually an interesting idea.
Think of a series of 26 words, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet, and ending with a different letter of the alphabet. The NATO phonetic alphabet, for example, has alpha and delta, which both end with 'a', but you could modify that alphabet so every word ends with a different letter.
That would be an interesting exercise for the cunning linguist...
Re:The cypher (Score:4, Insightful)
That's actually an interesting idea.
Think of a series of 26 words, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet, and ending with a different letter of the alphabet. The NATO phonetic alphabet, for example, has alpha and delta, which both end with 'a', but you could modify that alphabet so every word ends with a different letter.
That would be an interesting exercise for the cunning linguist...
Interesting, but a very simple substitution cipher of which there are many.
Most substitution ciphers can be cracked by simple frequency analysis [wikipedia.org].
Note that the statistical frequency of particular letters is language specific, so you have to know the source language.
Re:The cypher (Score:2)
Thanks for beating me to this -- it sounds like a simple substitution cipher; even with a many-to-one I'm amazed it would be THAT hard to crack. Of course, looking at the images in the articles I wasn't having a good time telling one rune from the next (there was a series of like 5 "R" looking characters in a row), so maybe it was a high order many-to-one so the trick helped narrow the field.
I'm impressed that such a cipher lasted this long, though!
Re: The cypher (Score:0)
+1
Not sure why cracking a 900-year-old simple substitution cypher is so significant. I guess the real question is, if it's really just a substitution cypher, why hasn't anybody else figured it out. Perhaps few people have really been trying.
Re: The cypher (Score:0)
why hasn't anybody else figured it out. Perhaps few people have really been trying.
Probably. Why would someone with an interest in cryptography study archeology or cultural history?
This is also the reason to why rolling your own retarded crypto could be safer than using one of the classics. Most people or companies aren't going to be targeted by someone who knows cryptography. The primary threat are automated data gatherers and script-kiddies. Both relies on everyone using standardized systems with known flaws rather than using custom systems.
Re: The cypher (Score:2)
My guess would be: 1) as you stated: not many cryptographers tackled the riddle and 2) a simple substitution is easy to spot, if you know the language. Not sure how many people these days "speak" runes and know their pronounciation (which seems part of the substitution).
Re:The cypher (Score:3, Funny)
Let's do this for Japanese!
a - a, ka - a, sa - a, ta - a, na - a, ha - a, ma - a, ya - a, ra - a, wa - a
i - i, ki - i, shi - i, chi - i, ni - i, hi - i, mi - i, ri - i, etc...
n -> n
Decipher these words/phrases:
oaouoaiau
aiaouoaiau
oniia
aaaai
Re:The cypher (Score:2)
Not sure it would be one-to-one in runes.
I was wondering this too. From the article linked above [forskning.no] by tindur (norwegian), it's not, but it's not too bad:
6 letters map to R
3 to S
2 to
2 to L
2 to N
1 to E
By my counting, english has 10-13 letters mapped to E. Depends on your spelling of letters.
Eeeenes hn ihur seellene hf leeeers.
Re:The cypher (Score:1)
Interesting (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah so that big far bikini it soars!
(Missed first post by this much!)
Re:Interesting (Score:2)
Well played! No mod points today, sorry...
Re:Interesting (Score:4, Informative)
Dumb abusive cart barista abuses nouveau caloric gimmick chocolates.
KAUN!!!!!! (Score:1)
.......
Decode this! (Score:0)
Back tatami scratches scratches
Loom funny
Beta scratches scratches
Re:Decode this! (Score:0)
Back tatami scratches scratches
Loom funny
Beta scratches scratches
won so
that with a run drink
say o you
(Kiss my Ass)
(No thank you)
Another case of universities teaching... (Score:0)
..young peoples skills and abilities needed in the 21 century.
Re:Another case of universities teaching... (Score:0)
...because the only thing worth doing in life is sucking corporate peen for cash.
Secret messages (Score:3)
"...other translated inscriptions turned out to be playful taunts at the person doing the decoding."
Remember to drink your ovaltine!
Re:Secret messages (Score:2)
Sounds like it was some kind of word game / amusement more than anything else.
so disappointing (Score:1)
"Be sure to drink your ovaltine."
Viking Pig Latin (Score:0)
Oooyay Otgay Isthay?
Why Bother? (Score:0)
Why bother cracking Vikings' secret code? You obviously don't need it to defeat them [go.com]
No point. (Score:0)
There's no point in cracking the code.
Everybody knows it's going to be a handoff to Adrian Peterson, who will run the ball.
Here's the translation: (Score:1)
1. Invade
2. R@pe
3. Plunder
4. ???
5. Profit!
Re:Here's the translation: (Score:3)
Re:Here's the translation: (Score:0)
DICE = vikings? (Score:0)
They sure are r@ping this beta interface.
Re: Here's the translation: (Score:2)
Much simpler
Pillage then burn.
Never
Burn then pillage
Re:Here's the translation: (Score:2)
Hedley Lamarr: Qualifications?
Applicant: Rape, murder, arson, and rape.
Hedley Lamarr: You said rape twice.
Applicant: I like rape.
Re: Here's the translation (Score:0)
pillage is traditionally in that list.
Hm. (Score:3)
Igpay Atinlay (Score:0)
And I thought I was clever...
Tally Board (Score:2)
It looks more like a Tally Board [merriam-webster.com] for stock keeping to me.
Am i the only one... (Score:0)
who missread the headline as "Victoria Secret Code Cracked"..?
Disssssapointing....
Pig Norse (Score:1)
You've heard of Pig Latin? This is Pig Norse.
Re:Pig Norse (Score:0)
"Kiss me. I'm Bacon, Kevin Bacon." The final part was lost due to natural causes.
Simple substitution cypher (Score:0)
So it turns out to be a simple substitution cypher - but in Norwegian.
Of course - an easy thing to miss. Norwegian substitution cyphers can only be read by the light of a moon of the same shape and season as the day in which they were written.
Re:Simple substitution cypher (Score:2)
Re:Simple substitution cypher (Score:2)
Re:Simple substitution cypher (Score:0)
Well you discovered a fixed point congratulations!
Child's play (Score:1)
So it's a monoalphabetic substitution cipher? How the fuck was it not cracked until now?
Re:Child's play (Score:0)
No one was expecting it to be so simple!
Kiss me I'lm Viking! (Score:1)
Time to trademark that.
Re:Kiss me I'lm Viking! (Score:2)
First, put down the axes.
kiddie code? (Score:2)
I imagine that 1000 years into the future some 20th century English runologist will crack the code of pig latin.
Re:kiddie code? (Score:2)
I imagine that 1000 years into the future some 20th century English runologist will crack the code of pig latin.
Or ubbi dubbi [wikipedia.org].
Ég skil ekki (Score:3)
eir eru að tala um rúnir en myndin er bara rispur á spýtu. Hvernig ýðir maður rispur á rúnir?
Re:Ég skil ekki (Score:2)
substitution cipher? (Score:2)
From the description it sounds like a simple substitution cipher (from their examples, /e/ for /f/, and /n/ for /k/). How hard can that be to decode if you have enough of the text? Yes, neato that we can now read certain notes that have been encoded for 900 years, but were they really only undeciphered that long because no one had a proper, scholarly look at them?
Re:substitution cipher? (Score:5, Informative)
Åruz -> algiz
thurisaz -> algiz
ansuz -> algiz
hagalaz -> algiz
naudiz -> algiz
iwaz -> algiz
algiz -> algiz
tiwaz -> algiz
ehwaz -> algiz
mannaz -> algiz
laguz -> algiz
ingwaz -> algiz
dagaz -> algiz
So their coded documents would have looked like
zzjgu zzzzknzz uzbzz uzzzzzzb zznzzrzzz jzzzzzrzzuzzzrfz zuiz zdzzzzf gzz zzzzzz zzzzzzzzzz zzz
"He must have fell asleep while carving it."
"Well, if he fell asleep, he wouldn't have bothered carving ZZZ, he would have just said it."
"Perhaps he was dictating."
Re:substitution cipher? (Score:3)
ur -> reidh
naudhr -> reidh
ar -> reidh
madhr -> reidh
yr -> reidh
Pig Viking? (Score:2)
Plaintext (Score:2)
Plaintext (Score:0)
Bloody Swedes
Re:Plaintext (Score:0)
"A m00se once bit my sister...."
The next line in Runic probably would read: "So she tore its head off and roasted it."
change (Score:1)