This Viking Age runestone, designated as G 181 in the Rundata catalog, was originally located at a church at Sanda, Gotland, Sweden, and is believed to depict the three Norse pagan gods Odin, Thor, and Freyr.
This Viking Age runestone, designated as G 181 in the Rundata catalog, was originally located at a church at Sanda, Gotland, Sweden, and is believed to depict the three Norse pagan gods Odin, Thor, and Freyr.
The runestone was discovered in the churchyard of Sanda church in 1863 [1] and is currently located in the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities. It is classified as being carved in runestone style Pr2, also known as Ringerike style.
The inscription depicts two scenes under an arching runic text band. The lower panel contains three figures, holding a spear, a hammer or club, and a sickle. Because the weapon of Odin was the spear Gungnir, that of Thor the hammer Mjöllnir, and Freyr is identified with farming, the figures have been identified as these three gods. [2] They are depicted wearing typical Viking Age clothing, including a cloak known as a hekla and a tasseled conical cap called a skott-húfa. [3] The upper scene also has three figures, which are considered to be the same gods; a large bird that may be a crane or goose is shown bending its head over the figure identified as Freyr. [4] Its meaning is not understood.
Some authorities have cited the runestone as evidence that Odin, Thor, and Freyr formed a divine Norse triad or trinity. [4] The proposition of this divine triad comes from theories of comparative religion and descriptions and depictions of these gods. [5] Other evidence for such a triad includes Adam of Bremen's description of the Temple at Uppsala as containing statues of these gods. [6] These three are also the only Norse gods known to have been actively worshipped during the Viking Age. [7]
The runic inscription is carved in the younger futhark and consists of three personal names. Björn (Old Norse Bjǫrn) was a common name meaning "bear"; Gunnbjǫrn translates as "Battle Bear" [8] and Farbjǫrn may mean "Far Traveling Bear".
The second line is a transliteration of the runes; the third is transcription into Old Norse.
:
:
ᚱᚬᚦᚢᛁᛋᛚ
roþuisl
Hróðvísl
:
:
ᛅᚢᚴ
aug
ok
:
:
ᚠᛅᚱᛒᚬᚱᚾ
farborn
Farbjǫrn
:
:
ᛅᚢᚴ
auk
ok
:
:
ᚴᚢᚾᛒᚬᚱᚾ
kunborn
Gunnbjǫrn.
:
:
Hróðvisl and Farbjọrn and Gunnbjọrn. [9]
Freyr, sometimes anglicized as Frey, is a widely attested god in Norse mythology, associated with kingship, fertility, peace, prosperity, fair weather, and good harvest. Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden and seen as an ancestor of the Swedish royal house. According to Adam of Bremen, Freyr was associated with peace and pleasure, and was represented with a phallic statue in the Temple at Uppsala. According to Snorri Sturluson, Freyr was "the most renowned of the æsir", and was venerated for good harvest and peace.
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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.
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The Fyrby Runestone, which is designated as Sö 56 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Fyrby, which is about 15 kilometers south of Flen, Södermanland County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Södermanland.
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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.
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