Runestones in Sweden

I've begun capturing images of some of the runestones in Sweden. They are particularly prevalent in the Upplands area. “The art of writing with an alphabet appears to have been introduced into Germanic Europe in the Iron Age. Something hieratic and mysterious was involved in the idea of letters as used to convey thought, and from the earliest recorded times they were called runes,

from the Gothic runa (rIEn, in Icelandic), which originally means a secret thing, a mystery, and was later used to describe a letter of the ancient language. The Iron Age is supposed to have existed from circa 200 to circa 650, and it is to the close of this epoch that the beginning of ‘the writing on Scandinavian memorials is attributed. There are runes which have been discovered in England, and some also on the Germanic mainland of Europe, but it is in the Scandinavian peninsula that the vast majority of inscribed monuments have been discovered. The custom of erecting nmic monuments, i.e. stones engraved with more or less literary statements, over the bodies of the dead, was practised first, there can be no doubt, in Norway and Sweden, then spread to Denmark and over the whole North of Europe.” (Encyclopedia Britannica (1911) / http://49.1911encyclopedia.org/R/RU/RUNES.htm)

While runes began to be used around 200 A.D., most of the inscriptions in Sweden date to the 11th century.

[Click on an image to view it full-sized]

The stone was found in the graveyard in 1881, where it had been part of the foundation of the old Dominican cloister since the 13:th century. The inscription reads: "The Frisian guild brothers let raise this stone after Torkel, thier guild brother. God help his spirit. Torbjörn cut."

Located near the ruins of the St. Per's church, the inscription reads: "Torbjörn raised this stone after Äsbjörn, his brother. They are sons of Dyrver(?) in ... "

Located near a small store on a street in Sigtuna.

Rune stone with an inscription from the 11th Century AD.
"Holmfast had the stone erected in memory of Igulger, his father, and Torbjörn."
Located in University Park near the University Museum in Uppsala, the rune stone was found in 1910 in a corner of present-day Gamla Torget. In the Middle Ages a Franciscan monastery was located in the area. Many of the Rune stones in University Park were found in the same block.

Rune stone with an inscription from the 11th century AD.
"Björn and … the stone in memory of … soul."
Located in University Park near the University Museum in Uppsala, the stone was found in connection with the restoration work in the Archbishop’s house. Large parts of the stone and the inscription are missing.

Rune stone with an inscription from the 11th century AD.
"Tägn and Gunnar had the stones erected in memory of Väder, their brother"
Located in University Park near the University Museum in Uppsala. In Fanbo parish east of Uppsala are three more rune stones erected in memory of members of the same family. The symbol in the middle area is interpreted as a symbol of the trinity.

Rune stone with an inscription from the 11th century AD.
"Forkun and Brune had the memorial made in memory of Igulfast, their father."
Located in University Park near the University Museum in Uppsala, the stone was found east of the river. It was probably part of the material used in the construction of the Franciscan monastery in the 13th century. The inscription is cut by the rune master Öpir.

Rune stone with an inscription from the 11th century AD.
"Igul and Torger had the stone erected in memory of Kättilfast, their father. Help his soul. Gillög. Öpir formulated the runes."
Located in University Park near the University Museum in Uppsala, the inscription is rather clumsy and the ornamentation is asymmetrical. The text contains grammatical mistakes.

Rune stone with an inscription from the 11th century AD.
"Mule … had this stone erected in memory of Svarthövde, his brother. Åsmund, Ingjald. Mule and … they had this stone erected in memory of Svarthövde … at Söderby."
Located in University Park near the University Museum in Uppsala. There are several Söderby in the vicinity of Uppsala, making it impossible to be sure which place the text refers to. The inscription is carved by the rune master Åsmund.

Rune stone with an inscription from the 11th century AD.
"… had the stone erected for the soul of … their son. He died in white clothes in Denmark. Öpir advised on the runes."
Located in University Park near the University Museum in Uppsala. The son died in white clothes, the white baptismal clothing worn for a period after baptism. It is therefore likely he died shortly after becoming a Christian.

Rune stone with an inscription from the 11th century AD.
"Gillög had the bridge made for her daughter Gillög’s soul, the wife of Ulf. Öpir cut (the runes)."
Located in University Park near the University Museum in Uppsala. It is unusual for rune stones to have been raised in memory of women. The building of bridges for the dead person’s soul is frequently mentioned in runic texts. Thus to build a bridge must have been a pious deed in the 11th century.

Rune stone with an inscription from the 11th century AD.
"Vigmund had the stone carved for himself, the cleverest of men. God help the soul of Vigmund, the ships’ captain. Vigmund and Åfrid had the memorial made while he was still alive."
Located in University Park near the University Museum in Uppsala. This rune stone was sent to Paris for the World Exhibition in 1967. It is rare for someone to have a memorial stone cut for himself during his lifetime.

Posted by Jack at September 08, 2002 08:10 AM