The larger of the two stones was raised by King Gorm's son, Harald Bluetooth, in memory of his parents, celebrating his conquest of Denmark and Norway, and his conversion of the Danes to Christianity.

[1] In 1994, the stones, in addition to the burial mounds and small church nearby, were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as an unparalleled example of both pagan and Christian Nordic culture.

[11] The Heritage Agency of Denmark decided to keep the stones in their current location and selected a protective casing design from 157 projects submitted through a competition.

Additionally, the bronze patina gives off a rusty, greenish colour, highlighting the runestones' grey and reddish tones and emphasising their monumental character and significance.

[13] The inscription on the larger of the two Jelling stones (Jelling II, Rundata DR 42[14]) reads: :  ᚼᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏᚱharaltrHaraldrHaraldr᛬:  ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛦkunukʀkonungrkunungʀ᛬:  ᛒᛅᚦbaþbaðbaþ᛬:  ᚴᛅᚢᚱᚢᛅkauruageragørwa/¶  ᚴᚢᛒᛚkublkumlkumbl᛬:  ᚦᛅᚢᛋᛁþausiþessiþøsi᛬:  ᛅᚠᛏafteptæft᛬:  ᚴᚢᚱᛘkurmGorm,Gorm,ᚠᛅᚦᚢᚱfaþurfǫðurfaþurᛋᛁᚾsinsinn,sin,/¶  ᛅᚢᚴaukokokᛅᚠᛏafteptæft᛬:  ᚦᚭᚢᚱᚢᛁþouruiÞyrvé,Þorwi,᛬:  ᛘᚢᚦᚢᚱmuþurmóðurmoþur᛬:  ᛋᛁᚾᛅsinasína,sina,᛬:  ᛋᛅsasása/¶  ᚼᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏᚱharaltrHaraldrHaraldr(᛬)(:)  ᛁᛅᛋiaseræs᛬:  ᛋᚭᛦsoʀsérseʀ᛫·  ᚢᛅᚾuanvannwan᛫·  ᛏᛅᚾᛘᛅᚢᚱᚴtanmaurkDanmǫrkDanmork{} ᚼᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏᚱ ᛬ ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛦ ᛬ ᛒᛅᚦ ᛬ ᚴᛅᚢᚱᚢᛅ / ᚴᚢᛒᛚ ᛬ ᚦᛅᚢᛋᛁ ᛬ ᛅᚠᛏ ᛬ ᚴᚢᚱᛘ ᚠᛅᚦᚢᚱ ᛋᛁᚾ / ᛅᚢᚴ ᛅᚠᛏ ᛬ ᚦᚭᚢᚱᚢᛁ ᛬ ᛘᚢᚦᚢᚱ ᛬ ᛋᛁᚾᛅ ᛬ ᛋᛅ / ᚼᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏᚱ (᛬) ᛁᛅᛋ ᛬ ᛋᚭᛦ ᛫ ᚢᛅᚾ ᛫ ᛏᛅᚾᛘᛅᚢᚱᚴ: haraltr : kunukʀ : baþ : kaurua ¶ kubl : þausi : aft : kurm faþur sin ¶ auk aft : þourui : muþur : sina : sa ¶ haraltr (:) ias : soʀ · uan · tanmaurk{} Haraldr {} konungr {} bað {} gera {} kuml {} þessi {} ept {} Gorm, fǫður sinn, {} ok ept {} Þyrvé, {} móður {} sína, {} sá {} Haraldr {} er {} sér {} vann {} Danmǫrk{} Haraldr {} kunungʀ {} baþ {} gørwa {} kumbl {} þøsi {} æft {} Gorm, faþur sin, {} ok æft {} Þorwi, {} moþur {} sina, {} sa {} Haraldr {} æs {} seʀ {} wan {} DanmorkKing Haraldr ordered these monuments made in memory of Gormr, his father, and in memory of Þyrvé, his mother; that Haraldr who won for himself all of Denmarkᛅᛚᛅalaallaalla᛫·  ᛅᚢᚴaukokok᛫·  ᚾᚢᚱᚢᛁᛅᚴnuruiakNorvegNorwægᛅᛚᛅ ᛫ ᛅᚢᚴ ᛫ ᚾᚢᚱᚢᛁᛅᚴala · auk · nuruiakalla {} ok {} Norvegalla {} ok {} Norwægand Norway᛫(·)  ᛅᚢᚴaukokok᛫   ᛏ(ᛅ)ᚾᛁt(a)nidanidani(᛫   ᚴᛅᚱᚦᛁ(k)(a)(r)(þ)(i)gerðigærþi᛫)   ᚴᚱᛁᛋᛏᚾᚭkristnokristna.kristna.

[14][14][14]᛫ ᛅᚢᚴ ᛫ ᛏ(ᛅ)ᚾᛁ (᛫ ᚴᛅᚱᚦᛁ ᛫) ᚴᚱᛁᛋᛏᚾᚭ(·) auk {} t(a)ni {} (k)(a)(r)(þ)(i) {} kristno{} ok {} dani {} gerði {} kristna.

[17] The inscription on the older and smaller of the Jelling stones (Jelling I, Rundata DR 41[18]) reads: ᛬:  ᚴᚢᚱᛘᛦkurmʀGormrGormʀ᛬:  ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛦkunukʀkonungrkunungʀ᛬: ¶ :  ᚴ(ᛅᚱ)ᚦᛁk(a)(r)þigerðigærþi᛬:  ᚴᚢᛒᛚkublkumlkumbl᛬:  ᚦᚢᛋᛁþusiþessiþøsi᛬: ¶ :  ᛅ(ᚠᛏ)a(f)(t)eptæft᛬:  ᚦᚢᚱᚢᛁþuruiÞyrvé,Þorwi,᛬:  ᚴᚢᚾᚢkunukonukunu᛬ ᚴᚢᚱᛘᛦ ᛬ ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛦ ᛬ ᚴ(ᛅᚱ)ᚦᛁ ᛬ ᚴᚢᛒᛚ ᛬ ᚦᚢᛋᛁ ᛬ ᛅ(ᚠᛏ) ᛬ ᚦᚢᚱᚢᛁ ᛬ ᚴᚢᚾᚢ: kurmʀ : kunukʀ {: ¶ :} k(a)(r)þi : kubl : þusi {: ¶ :} a(f)(t) : þurui : kunu{} Gormr {} konungr {} gerði {} kuml {} þessi {} ept {} Þyrvé, {} konu{} Gormʀ {} kunungʀ {} gærþi {} kumbl {} þøsi {} æft {} Þorwi, {} kunuKing Gormr made these monuments in memory of Þyrvé,᛬⁓  ᛋᛁᚾᛅsinasína,sina,᛬⁓  ᛏᛅᚾᛘᛅᚱᚴᛅᛦtanmarkaʀDanmarkarDanmarkaʀ᛬⁓  ᛒᚢᛏbutbót.bot.᛬⁓   [18][18][18]᛬ ᛋᛁᚾᛅ ᛬ ᛏᛅᚾᛘᛅᚱᚴᛅᛦ ᛬ ᛒᚢᛏ ᛬⁓ sina ⁓ tanmarkaʀ ⁓ but ⁓{} sína, {} Danmarkar {} bót.