| Altuna Runestone | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Height | 1.95 meters |
| Writing | Younger Futhark |
| Created | 11th century |
| Discovered | 1918 Altuna, Uppland, Sweden |
| Present location | Altuna, Uppland, Sweden |
| Culture | Viking |
| Rundata ID | U 1161 |
| Runemaster | Several |
| Text – Native | |
| Old Norse : See article. | |
| Translation | |
| See article | |
The Altuna Runestone (Altunastenen), listed as U 1161 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone with images from Norse mythology that is located in Altuna, Uppland, Sweden.
The Altuna Runestone is a granite stone 1.95 metres (6 ft 5 in) in height that was discovered in 1918 by a local historian in the wall of a chapel located near its current location. Before the historical significance of runestones was recognized, they were often used as materials in the construction of roads, bridges, walls, and buildings. It is one of few surviving runestones with exclusively pagan illustrations from Norse mythology. Most surviving runestones were raised during the 11th century after the Christianization of Sweden, and they were raised by people who wanted to show that they too adhered to the new faith, at least outwardly so, due to the fact that at least half of the runestones have inscriptions related to Christianity.
One side of the Altuna Runestone, however, illustrates a legend recorded in the Hymiskviða of the Poetic Edda , in which the Norse god Thor fishes for Jörmungandr, the Midgard serpent. [1] Thor goes fishing with the jötunn Hymir using an ox head for bait, and catches Jörmungandr, who then either breaks loose [2] or, as told in the Gylfaginning of the Prose Edda , the line is cut loose by Hymir. [3] The Prose Edda provides the additional detail that while Thor was pulling on the line with Jörmungandr on the hook, his feet went through the bottom of the boat. [3] The image on the Altuna Runestone does not show Hymir, which may be due to the narrow shape of the stone, but it shows Thor, his line and tackle and the serpent, and notably, Thor's foot which has been pushed through the hull of the boat. [1] This encounter between Thor and Jörmungandr seems to have been one of the most popular motifs in Norse art. Three other picture stones that have been linked with the myth are the Ardre VIII image stone, the Hørdum stone, and the Gosforth Cross. [4] A stone slab that may be a portion of a second cross at Gosforth also shows a fishing scene using an ox head. [5]
The runic inscription suggests that those to whom the stone is dedicated, the father Holmfastr and his son Arnfastr, were burned, [6] possibly in a case of arson known as quickfire, a method commonly used in Scandinavian feuds. Arnfastr and his brother Véfastr share the common name element fastr with their father, Holmfastr. A common practice at that time in Scandinavia was the repeating of one of the name elements from a parent's name in the names of the children to show the family connection. [7]
The inscription is classified as being carved in runestone style Pr3, which is also known as Urnes style. This runestone style is characterized by slim and stylized animals that are interwoven into tight patterns. The animal heads are typically seen in profile with slender almond-shaped eyes and upwardly curled appendages on the noses and the necks. The inscription is signed by the runemasters with the normalized names Frösten and Balle and perhaps by Livsten. Balle was active in south-western Uppland and northern Södermanland during the second half of the eleventh century.
Other runestones depicting Thor's hammer include runestones Sö 86 in Åby, Sö 111 in Stenkvista, Vg 113 in Lärkegapet, Öl 1 in Karlevi, DR 26 in Laeborg, DR 48 in Hanning, DR 120 in Spentrup, and DR 331 in Gårdstånga. [8] [9]
First line is transliteration; second is transcription in Old Norse.
uifasþtr
Vifastr,
fulkahþr
Folkaðr,
kuþar
Guðvarr(?)
litu
letu
resa
ræisa
sþten
stæin
ʀþti
æftiʀ
sen
sinn
faþur
faður
ulfasþ
Holmfast,
arfast
Arnfast.
Véfastr, Folkaðr, Guðvarr(?) had the stone raised in memory of their father Holmfastr, (and in memory of) Arnfastr.
beþi
Baðiʀ
feþrkag
fæðrgaʀ
burnu
brunnu,
e(n)
en
...
[þæiʀ]
bali
Balli,
fresþen
Frøystæinn,
liþ
lið
lifsþen...
Lifstæin[s
...
ristu].
(version 1): Both father and son were burned, and Balli (and) Freysteinn, of Lífsteinn's retinue, carved.
(version 2): Both father and son were burned, and Balli (and) Freysteinn (and) Lífsteinn (carved?). [10]
Hymir is a jötunn in Norse mythology, and the owner of a brewing-cauldron fetched by the thunder god Thor for Ægir, who wants to hold a feast for the Æsir (gods). In Hymiskviða, Hymir is portrayed as the father of Týr, but in Skáldskaparmál, Odin is Týr's father.
The runestone known as Östergötland Rune Inscription 179 or Ög 179, as listed in the Rundata catalog, stands on the east side of the Vadstena Abbey in Vadstena, Sweden. The stone is tinted red and is about 193 cm in height. The inscription is classified as being carved in runestone style Fp. This is the classification for runic bands that have attached serpent or beast heads depicted as seen from above.
Uppland Runic Inscription 77 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone that is located at Råsta, which is in Sundbyberg Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden, which is in the historic province of Uppland.
The Lingsberg Runestones are two 11th-century runestones, listed as U 240 and U 241 in the Rundata catalog, and one fragment, U 242, that are engraved in Old Norse using the younger futhark. They are at the Lingsberg farm about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of Vallentuna, which is about 24 kilometres (15 mi) north of the center of Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden, which was part of the former province of Uppland.
The Hagby Runestones are four runestones that are raised on the courtyard of the farm Hagby in Uppland, Sweden. They are inscribed in Old Norse using the Younger Futhark and they date to the 11th century. Three of the runestones are raised in memory of Varangians who died somewhere in the East, probably in Kievan Rus'.
The Greece runestones are about 30 runestones containing information related to voyages made by Norsemen to the Byzantine Empire. They were made during the Viking Age until about 1100 and were engraved in the Old Norse language with Scandinavian runes. All the stones have been found in modern-day Sweden, the majority in Uppland and Södermanland. Most were inscribed in memory of members of the Varangian Guard who never returned home, but a few inscriptions mention men who returned with wealth, and a boulder in Ed was engraved on the orders of a former officer of the Guard.
The Risbyle Runestones are two runestones found near the western shore of Lake Vallentunasjön in Uppland, Sweden, dating from the Viking Age.
The England runestones are a group of about 30 runestones in Scandinavia which refer to Viking Age voyages to England. They constitute one of the largest groups of runestones that mention voyages to other countries, and they are comparable in number only to the approximately 30 Greece Runestones and the 26 Ingvar Runestones, of which the latter refer to a Viking expedition to the Caspian Sea region. They were engraved in Old Norse with the Younger Futhark.
The Varangian Runestones are runestones in Scandinavia that mention voyages to the East or the Eastern route, or to more specific eastern locations such as Garðaríki in Eastern Europe.
The Sigurd stones form a group of eight or nine Swedish runic inscriptions and one picture stone that depict imagery from the Germanic heroic legend of Sigurd the dragon slayer. They were made during the Viking Age and constitute the earliest Norse representations of the matter of the Völsung cycle that is the basis of the Middle High German Nibelungenlied and the Sigurd legends in the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, and the Völsunga saga.
The Viking runestones are runestones that mention Scandinavians who participated in Viking expeditions. This article treats the runestone that refer to people who took part in voyages abroad, in western Europe, and stones that mention men who were Viking warriors and/or died while travelling in the West. However, it is likely that all of them do not mention men who took part in pillaging. The inscriptions were all engraved in Old Norse with the Younger Futhark. The runestones are unevenly distributed in Scandinavia: Denmark has 250 runestones, Norway has 50 while Iceland has none. Sweden has as many as between 1,700 and 2,500 depending on definition. The Swedish district of Uppland has the highest concentration with as many as 1,196 inscriptions in stone, whereas Södermanland is second with 391.
The Baltic area runestones are Viking runestones in memory of men who took part in peaceful or warlike expeditions across the Baltic Sea, where Finland and the Baltic states are presently located.
The Hørdum stone is a Viking Age picture stone discovered in Hørdum, Thisted Municipality, North Denmark Region, Denmark, that depicts a legend from Norse mythology involving the god Thor and Jörmungandr, the Midgard serpent.
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.
Uppland Runic Inscription 993 or U 993 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Brunnby, which is one kilometer west of Gunsta, Uppsala County, Sweden, which was part of the historical province of Uppland.
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.
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.
Uppland Runic Inscription 1158 or U 1158 is the Rundata catalogue listing for a Viking Age memorial runestone that is located at Stora Salfors, which is one kilometre east of Fjärdhundra, Uppsala County, Sweden, and is in the historic province of Uppland. The stone is a memorial to a man named Freygeirr, and may have been the same Freygeirr who was a Viking chieftain active on the Baltic coast in the 1050s.
The Uppland Runic Inscription 158 is a lost Viking Age runestone engraved in Old Norse with the Younger Futhark runic alphabet. It was located in Löttinge, in Täby Municipality.
The Uppland Runic Inscription 258 is a Viking Age runestone engraved in Old Norse with the Younger Futhark runic alphabet. It is in granite and located at Fresta Church in Upplands Väsby Municipality.
