Edinburgh's Runestone | |
---|---|
Created | 1010–1050 |
Discovered | Lilla Ramsjö, Morgongåva, Vittinge parish, Uppland, Sweden |
Present location | 50 George Square, Edinburgh, Scotland |
Coordinates | 55°56′38″N3°11′12″W / 55.943863°N 3.186608°W |
Rundata ID | U 1173 |
Runemaster | Erik (A) |
Text – Native | |
Old Norse: Ari ræisti stæin æftiR Hialm, faður sinn. Guð hialpi and hans. | |
Translation | |
Ari raised the stone in memory of Hjalmr, his father. May God help his spirit. |
The Swedish Runestone, designated U 1173 in the Rundata catalogue, is an 11th-century [1] Swedish Viking Age runestone which was located in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, below Edinburgh Castle Esplanade, within a fenced enclosure adjacent to Ramsay Garden. [2] Due to security concerns it was removed from there on 19 December 2017 and in the Autumn of 2020 was re-located at 50 George Square, Edinburgh just outside the University of Edinburgh's Department of Scandinavian Studies. [3] [4] [5]
On 22 March 2023 the runestone was officially unveiled, [6] after delays due to restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of Coronovirus. [4]
Originally from Lilla Ramsjö in present-day Morgongåva, Heby Municipality, it was donated to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 1787 by Sir Alexander Seton of Preston and Ekolsund (né Baron 1738–1814), [7] and was presented to the Princes Street Proprietors by the Society in 1821. [8] It is one of three Swedish runestones in Britain; the other two (U 104 & U 1160) are in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford in England. [9] [10] [11]
The carving on the stone features a centrally located cross, encircled by a serpent. The runic inscription is carved within the serpent, whose head and tail are linked with the cross' shaft. There are 18 runestones in Sweden which bear similar features and are believed to have been carved by a runemaster called Erik. [4] [12]
There are two additional crosses carved into the runestone – one on the right-hand edge of the stone, and one at the front of the stone, above the inscription, on the right-hand side. They do not exhibit the same level of craftsmanship and are believed to have been added later, perhaps in the 19th century. [13] [12]
Transliteration and transcription:
ari
Ari
+
rasti
reisti
+
stain
stein
+
aftir
eptir
+
(h)ialm
Hjalm,
+
faþur
fǫður
sin
sinn.
+
kuþ
Guð
+
hialbi
hjalpi
+
ant
ǫnd
hans
hans.
"Ari raised the stone in memory of Hjalmr, his father. May God help his spirit." [14]
In 2014 a replica of stone U 1173 was made in Sweden and placed where the original would have come from, at Morgongåva in Uppsala, by a group called Hebys "nya" runsten, [15] led by project manager Mats Köben, an amateur archaeologist and enthusiast. This replica was carved by runemaster Kalle Dahlberg (Runistare) who visited Edinburgh in 2013 to measure the stone and record the design, before carving it from pink granite, sourced from Vätö Stenhuggeri at Adelsö Island. [16] [17]
The Funbo runestones constitute a group of four runestones originally from Funbo in the province of Uppland, Sweden, which were raised by members of the same family during the eleventh century.
Runic inscription U 934 is the Rundata catalog listing for a Viking Age runestone located in Uppsala, Sweden.
The Snottsta and Vreta stones are individual runestones known as U 329, U 330, U 331 and U 332. They are found on the homesteads of Snottsta and Vreta, and they tell in Old Norse with the younger futhark about the family story of Gerlög and Inga in 11th century Uppland, Sweden, together with the Hillersjö stone and the runestone U 20/21.
Fot was a runemaster who flourished in mid-11th century Sweden.
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 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 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.
Adelsö Church is a church located on the Lake Mälaren island of Adelsö, in Ekerö Municipality in central eastern Sweden.
Runic inscription U Fv1986;84 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial that is located at Bo gård on the island of Lidingö in Uppland, Sweden.
U 1043 is the Rundata designation for a runic inscription on a memorial runestone located in Onslunda, Tensta parish, and about four kilometers west of Vattholma, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Uppland. While the tradition of carving inscriptions into boulders began in the 4th century and lasted into the 12th century, most runestones date from the late Viking Age.
U 1014 is the Rundata designation for a Viking Age memorial runestone that is located in Ärentuna, which is about one kilometer east of Lövstalöt, Uppland, Sweden.
This runic inscription, designated as Sm 99 in the Rundata catalog, is on a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Nederby, which is about two kilometers northwest of Myresjö, Jönköping County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Småland.
The Lovö Runestones are five Viking Age memorial runestones outside the Lovö church on the island of Lovön in Lake Mälaren, which is in Stockholm County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Uppland.
The Skårby Runestones are two Viking Age memorial runestones originally located in Skårby, which is about ten kilometers northwest of Ystad, Scania, Sweden.
This runic inscription, designated as U 448 in the Rundata catalog, is on a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Harg, which is about 4 kilometers north of Märsta, Stockholm County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Uppland.
Uppland Runic Inscription 1144 or U 1144 is the Rundata catalog designation of a Viking Age memorial runestone in a churchyard that is located five kilometers southwest of Tierp, Uppsala County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Uppland.
The Holmfast Inscriptions are two Viking Age memorial runic inscriptions and one image that are designated as Sö 311, Sö 312, and Sö 313 in the Rundata catalog. They are located in Södertälje, Stockholm County and the province of Södermanland, Sweden by the eponymous road Holmfastvägen.
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.
The Norrtil Runestones are two monuments listed in Rundata as U 410 and U 411, standing at Norrtil, Saint Olovs parish, Uppland, Sweden. Both runestones were erected at the second part of 11th century along the ancient road leading from Sigtuna to already existed at that time settlement of Til.