Östergötland Runic Inscription MÖLM1960;230

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Runestone Og MOLM1960;230 from Tornevalla, Sweden. Tornevalla218-1.jpg
Runestone Ög MÖLM1960;230 from Törnevalla, Sweden.

Östergötland Runic Inscription MÖLM1960;230 or Ög MÖLM1960;230 is the Rundata catalog number for a memorial runestone that is located near a church in Törnevalla, which is 2 kilometers east of Linghem, Östergötland County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Östergötland. The runestone has an inscription which refers to a Viking Age mercantile guild and depicts a ship.

Contents

Description

Runestone Ög MÖLM1960;230 was rediscovered in the base of a church tower in 1960. Before the historic significance of runestones was understood, they were often reused as building materials for roads, churches, and other buildings. After being repaired, it was raised outside of the church. The runic inscription on this granite stone, which is 2.4 meters in height, consists of text in the younger futhark within an arching text band that is under a depiction of a ship. The inscription is classified as being carved in runestone style RAK, which is the classification used for text bands that have straight ends and do not have any attached serpent or beast heads.

The church at Tornevalla showing the runestone in front of the church tower. Tornevalla side view.jpg
The church at Tornevalla showing the runestone in front of the church tower.

Ship images appear on several Viking Age runic inscriptions. Other runic inscriptions from the Viking Age which depict ships include DR 77 in Hjermind, DR 119 in Spentrup, DR 220 in Sønder Kirkeby, DR 258 in Bösarp, DR 271 in Tullstorp, DR 328 in Holmby, DR EM85;523 in Farsø, Ög 181 in Ledberg, Ög 224 in Stratomta, Sö 122 in Skresta, Sö 154 in Skarpåker, Sö 158 in Österberga, Sö 164 in Spånga, Sö 351 in Överjärna, Sö 352 in Linga, Vg 51 in Husaby, U 370 in Herresta, U 979 in Gamla Uppsala, U 1052 in Axlunda, U 1161 in Altuna, and Vs 17 in Råby. [1] Three stones, the Hørdum and Långtora kyrka stones and U 1001 in Rasbo, depict ships but currently do not have any runes on them and may never have had any. [1]

The runic text, which is damaged at the beginning, indicates that the stone is a memorial to a man named Drengr who was the son of a man possibly named Eygeirr, and that the person or persons who sponsored the stone and Drengr were members of a guild. This is one of four runestones that mention guilds in Viking Age Sweden, the others being U 379 in Kyrkogården, U 391 in Prästgatan, and Ög 64 in Bjälbo. [2] [3] These stones and others discussing félags are evidence of the trading activities during this period of Scandinavian history. [2] One scholar has suggested that the image of the ship may have been a type of heraldic badge or symbol of the guild that raised the stone. [1]

The name Drengr is a bit unusual as it normally is a title associated with warriors or merchants. [1] However, there are several examples from Scandinavia in which an Old Norse word that is a designation of status has become a personal name. [4] In the inscription, each word in the runic text is separated with a punctuation mark consisting of two dots except for the name Drengr, which has been emphasized by using a different word divider consisting of a single dot. [5]

The Rundata catalog number for this stone, Ög MÖLM1960;230, refers to the year and page number of the 1960–61 edition of Meddelanden från Östergötlands ocb Linköpings stads Museum where the inscription was first described.

Inscription

Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters

...---a : oliʀ : ristu : stin : þins- : (i)f(t)iʀ * (t)rik * (a)ukis : sun : kilta : sin : [6]

Transcription into Old Norse

... Alveʀ/Ølveʀ ræistu stæin þenns[a] æftiʀ Dræng, Øygæiʀs(?) sun, gilda sinn. [6]

Translation in English

... Ǫlvir raised this stone in memory of Drengr, Eygeirr's(?) son, his guild-brother. [6]

Related Research Articles

Skarpåker Stone

The Skarpåker Stone, designated by Rundata as Sö 154, is a Viking Age memorial runestone that originally was located in Skarpåker, Nyköping, Sörmland, Sweden. It dates to the early eleventh century.

Karlevi Runestone

The Karlevi Runestone, designated as Öl 1 by Rundata, is commonly dated to the late 10th century and located near the Kalmarsund straight in Karlevi on the island of Öland, Sweden. It is one of the most notable and prominent runestones and constitutes the oldest record of a stanza of skaldic verse.

Södermanland Runic Inscription 86

Sö 86 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runic inscription located in Åby, which is about one kilometer north of Ålberga, Södermanland County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Södermanland. The inscription features a depiction of the hammer of the Norse pagan god Thor named Mjöllnir and a facial mask.

Östergötland Runic Inscription 43

Östergötland Runic Inscription 43 or Ög 43 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age runic inscription that is carved on a rockface in Ingelstad, which is just north of Norrköping, Östergötland, Sweden.

Holmby Runestone

The Holmby Runestone, listed as DR 328 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone bearing the image of a ship. It is in Holmby, which is about two kilometers southeast of Flyinge, Scania, Sweden.

Östergötland Runic Inscription 224

Östergötland Runic Inscription 224 or Ög 224 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone that is located in Stratomta, 9 kilometers (5.6 mi) east of Linköping, Östergötland, Sweden. The runestone has an inscription on two sides with an image of a ship on the south side.

Södermanland Runic Inscription 158

Södermanland Runic Inscription 158 or Sö 158 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Österberga, which is one kilometer southwest of Ärsta and three kilometers southwest of Runtuna, Södermanland County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Södermanland. The inscription includes an image of a ship and uses same-stave bind runes to commemorate a man described as being a thegn.

Bjälbo runestones

The Bjälbo runestones are three Viking Age memorial runestones, one of which has been lost, located at Bjälbo, which is a village in Mjölby Municipality, Östergötland, Sweden. One of the inscriptions provides evidence of the existence of guilds in Sweden during this period.

Västmanland Runic Inscription 17

Västmanland Runic Inscription 17 or Vs 17 is the Rundata designation for a Viking Age memorial runestone with an image of a ship that is located in Råby, which is about two kilometers east of Tortuna, Västmanland County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Västmanland.

Södermanland Runic Inscription 351

Södermanland Runic Inscription 351 or Sö 351 is the Rundata catalog number of a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Överjärna, which is part of Järna, Stockholm County, Sweden, which was part of the historic province of Södermanland. The damaged inscription depicts a ship and the text names the killer of the decedent.

Uppland Runic Inscription 979

Uppland Runic Inscription 979 or U 979 is the Rundata designation for a Viking Age runestone located at Gamla Uppsala, Sweden, which depicts a ship.

The Bjärby Runestones are two Viking Age memorial runestones located near Grästorp, Sweden, in Bjärby synod, which was in the historic province of Västergötland. The two stones are memorials to men who held the titles thegn and drengr, and one has a depiction of the hammer of the Norse pagan deity Thor.

Kyrkogården Runestones Viking memorial runestones in Stockholm County, Sweden

The Kyrkogården Runestones are three Viking Age memorial runestones located at the cemetery of St. Mary's Church in Sigtuna, Stockholm County, Sweden, in the historic province of Uppland. One of the runic inscriptions documents the existence of a Viking Age mercantile guild in Sweden.

Danish Runic Inscription 48

Danish Runic Inscription 48 or DR 48 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone from Hanning, which is about 8 km north of Skjern, Denmark. The runic inscription features a depiction of a hammer, which some have interpreted as a representation of the Norse pagan god Thor, although this interpretation is controversial.

Ballstorp Runestone

The Ballstorp Runestone, listed as Vg 62 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone located on the grounds of the ruins of a church in Ballstorp, which is about 8 kilometers northwest of Floby, Västra Götaland County, Sweden, which is in the historic province of Västergötland.

Västra Nöbbelöv Runestone

The Västra Nöbbelöv Runestone, listed as DR 278 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Västra Nöbbelöv, which is about 3 kilometers east of Skivarp, Skåne County, Sweden, and was in the historic province of Scania.

Laeborg Runestone

The Læborg or Laeborg Runestone, listed as DR 26 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone located outside of the village hall or Forsamlinghus in Læborg, which is about 3 kilometers north of Vejen, Denmark. The stone includes two depictions of the hammer of the Norse pagan god Thor.

Ålum Runestones

The Ålum Runestones are four Viking Age memorial runestones which are located at the church in Ålum, which is 9 km west of Randers, Denmark. One of the stones refers to a man with the title drengr and two of the other stones were raised by the same family.

Östergötland Runic Inscription 77

Östergötland Runic Inscription 77 or Ög 77 is the Rundata catalog designation for a Viking Age memorial runestone located at Hovgården, which is seven kilometers north of Väderstad, Östergötland County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Östergötland.

Västergötland Runic Inscription 90

Västergötland Runic Inscription 90 or Vg 90 is the Rundata listing for a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Torestorp, which is about three kilometers northwest of Gudhem, Västra Götaland County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Västergötland.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Jesch, Judith (2001). Ships and Men in the Late Viking Age: The Vocabulary of Runic Inscriptions and Skaldic Verse. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press. pp. 120, 219, 239. ISBN   0-85115-826-9.
  2. 1 2 Gustavson, Helmer (2001). "Trade Language and Runic Inscriptions in Haithabu and Related Trading Centres". In Worgull, Lars E.; Düwel, Klaus; et al. (eds.). Von Thorsberg nach Schleswig: Sprache und Schriftlichkeit eines Grenzgebietes im Wandel eines Jahrtausends: Internationales Kolloquium im Wikinger Museum Haithabu vom 29 September – 3 Oktober 1994. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 179–201. ISBN   3-11-016978-9. p. 179.
  3. Page, Raymond Ian (1995). Chronicles of the Vikings: Records, Memorials, and Myths. University of Toronto Press. p. 171. ISBN   0-8020-0803-8.
  4. Insley, J. (1995). "Finglesham". In Hoops, Johannes; Beck, Heinrich (eds.). Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde (in German). 9. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 68–69. ISBN   3-11-014642-8.
  5. Jesch, Judith (1998). "Still Standing in Ågersta: Textuality and Literacy in Late Viking Age Rune Stone Inscriptions". In Beck, Heinrich; Düwel, Klaus; et al. (eds.). Runeninschriften als Quellen interdisziplinärer Forschung: Abhandlungen des Vierten Internationalen Symposiums über Runen und Runeninschriften in Göttingen vom 4 – 9 August 1995. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 462–475. ISBN   3-11-015455-2. p. 469.
  6. 1 2 3 Project Samnordisk Runtextdatabas SvenskRundata entry for Ög MÖLM1960;230.

Coordinates: 58°27′05″N15°49′47″E / 58.45139°N 15.82972°E / 58.45139; 15.82972