Gorm the Old

Imagine a king from a super long time ago, even before your grandparents were born! That was Gorm the Old. He was a ruler, like a leader of a whole country called Denmark. He lived in a place called Jelling, which was like his royal castle. He was in charge of Denmark for many years, from around the time when knights wore shiny armor.

Gorm the Old loved his wife, Thyra, very much. He wanted to do something special to remember her. So, he made some big stones, called Jelling stones. The oldest one was just for Thyra! These stones are like ancient storybooks carved in rock. They tell us about Gorm and his family, and they are super, super old, like older than any building in your town!

Gorm the Old was king a very, very long time ago. He was born before the year 900, which is like over 1,100 years ago! He became king around the year 936. That's so long ago that cars hadn't been invented yet, and people traveled by horse or boat. He ruled for about 20 years, until he passed away sometime around the year 958.

Gorm the Old is important because he was one of the first kings of Denmark that we know a lot about. The stones he made are like a message from the past. They help us learn about what Denmark was like a thousand years ago. It’s like finding a treasure map that tells us about history!