Uppland Runic Inscription 181

Last updated April 02, 2019

Uppland Runic Inscription 181 or U 181 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone located at Össeby-Garn, which is about one kilometer east of Karby, Uppsala County, Sweden.

The Scandinavian Runic-text Data Base is a project involving the creation and maintenance of a database of runic inscriptions. The project's goal is to comprehensively catalog runestones in a machine-readable way for future research. The database is freely available via the Internet with a client program, called Rundata, for Microsoft Windows and ASCII text files for other operating systems.

The Viking Age is a period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, following the Germanic Iron Age. It is the period of history when Scandinavian Norsemen explored Europe by its seas and rivers for trade, raids, colonization, and conquest. In this period, the Norsemen settled in Norse Greenland, Newfoundland, and present-day Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Normandy, Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, Isle of Man, the Netherlands, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and Italy.

A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for the memory of something, usually a deceased person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains and parks.

Description

This inscription on a granite stone, which is 1.85 meters in height, consists of runic text in the younger futhark that is carved on a serpent that circles a central area where it becomes intertwined with itself, with a Christian cross in the upper part of the encircled area. The inscription is classified as being carved in runestone style Pr5, which is considered to be 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 text indicates that the inscription was carved by the runemaster Öpir, who was active during the late 11th century and early 12th century in Uppland, Sweden. His name ubiʀ is on the serpent on the lower right of this inscription. Öpir is known for his Urnes style inscriptions and signed almost fifty surviving inscriptions, with many more unsigned inscriptions attributed to him. Runic inscriptions are often dated based upon comparative linguistic and stylistic analysis, and the inscription on U 181 has been dated as being carved approximately after 1100.^[1]

The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus, is the best-known symbol of Christianity. It is related to the crucifix and to the more general family of cross symbols, the term cross itself being detached from the original specifically Christian meaning in modern English.

Runemaster specialist in making runestones

A runemaster or runecarver is a specialist in making runestones. More than 100 names of runemasters are known from Viking Age Sweden with most of them from 11th century eastern Svealand. Many anonymous runestones have more or less securely been attributed to these runemasters. During the 11th century, when most runestones were raised, there were a few professional runemasters. They and their apprentices were contracted to make runestones and when the work was finished, they sometimes signed the stone with the name of the runemaster. Many of the uncovered runic inscriptions have likely been completed by non-professional runecarvers for the practical purposes of burial rites or record-keeping. Due to the depictions of daily life, many of the nonprofessional runecarvers could have been anything from pirates to soldiers, merchants, or farmers. The layout of Scandinavian towns provided centers where craftspeople could congregate and share trade knowledge. After the spread of Christianity in these regions, and the increase in runic literacy that followed, runes were used for record-keeping and found on things like weapons, ivory, and coins.

Öpir or Öper was a runemaster who flourished during the late 11th century and early 12th century in Uppland, Sweden. He was the most productive of all the old runemasters and his art is classified as being in the highly refined Urnes style.

The runic text indicates that the stone was raised by several brothers and possibly daughters as a memorial to their father named Eistr. In carving the text, Öpir left off the final "ʀ" in runaʀ, or "runes," which he also did on inscriptions such as that on U Fv1976;107 at Uppsala Cathedral.^[2] Öpir also used a dot as a punctuation mark between each word of the text of this inscription. The inscription was signed by the runemaster Öpir using the Old Norse phrase en Øpiʀ risti runaʀ, which means "and Öpir carved the runes." This exact phrase was also used by Öpir when signing inscriptions on U 118 in Älvsunda, the now-lost U 262 in Fresta, U 287 in Vik, U 462 in Prästgården, U 541 in Husby-Sjuhundra, and U 566 in Vällingsö.

This runic inscription, designated as U Fv1976;107 under the Rundata catalog, is located at the Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden.

Uppsala Cathedral is a cathedral located between the Uppsala University Main Building and the River Fyris in the centre of Uppsala, Sweden. A church of the Lutheran Church of Sweden, Uppsala Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Uppsala, the primate of Sweden.

Old Norse was a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlements from about the 9th to the 13th century.

Inscription

Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters

askutr ' uk ' suain ' ikifastr ' uk ' ikibiarn ' uk ' tutr ' ... ...ain ' iftiʀ ' est ' faþur ' sin ' in ' ubiʀ ' risti ' run^[3]

Transcription into Old Norse

Asgautr ok Svæinn, Ingifastr ok Ingibiorn ok døtr(?)/Dyntr(?) ... [st]æin æftiʀ Æist, faður sinn. En Øpiʀ risti runaʀ.^[3]

Translation in English

Ásgautr and Sveinn (and) Ingifastr and Ingibjǫrn and the daughters(?)/Dyntr(?) ... the stone in memory of Eistr, their father. And Œpir carved the runes.^[3]

Related Research Articles

This Viking Age runestone, listed under Rundata as runic inscription U 489, was originally located in Morby, Uppland, Sweden, and is a memorial to a woman.

Uppland Runic Inscription 933 or U 933 is the Rundata catalog number for a granite Viking Age memorial runestone located at the Uppsala Cathedral, which is in the center of Uppsala, Sweden.

The Gällsta Runestones from the 11th century commemorate four generations of the same family in Viking Age Sweden. There are three runestones and a raised stone which is only inscribed with a cross. The runestones are located at the northern outskirts of Stockholm, just northwest of the lake Vallentunasjön, around which is found the world's greatest concentration of runestones. All the Gällsta Runestones are attributed to Öpir, the most productive of all the old runemasters.

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.

Uppland Runic Inscription 1034 or U 1034 is the Rundata catalog number for a runic inscription on a runestone located at the Tensta Church, which is three kilometers northwest of Vattholma, Uppsala County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Uppland, that was carved in the late 11th or early 12th century. 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.

Uppland Runic Inscription 308 or U 308 is the Rundata catalog designation for a memorial runestone that is located in Ekeby, Stockholm County, 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.

This runic inscription, designated as U Fv1948;168 in the Rundata catalog, is on a Viking Age memorial runestone to two sons that is located in Alsike, Uppsala County, Sweden, which is in the historic province of Uppland.

This runic inscription, designated as U Fv1976;104 in the Rundata catalog, is on a Viking Age memorial runestone that is located at the Uppsala Cathedral, Uppland, Sweden.

The Björklinge runestones are five Viking Age memorial runestones designated in the Rundata catalog as U 1045, U 1046, U 1047, U 1048, and U 1050 that are located at the church in Björklinge, Uppsala County, Sweden, which is in the historic province of Uppland. In addition, there is a small fragment of a runestone with a partial runic text i * lit * rita * meaning "had erected" that has been given the catalog number U 1049.

Uppland Runic Inscription 824 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone located at Holms, which is about eight kilometers east of Örsundsbro, Uppsala County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Uppland. The inscription features a facial mask and a bind rune in the text.

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.

Uppland Runic Inscription 485 or U 485 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone that is located in Marma, which is about six kilometers northeast of Knivsta, Uppsala County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Uppland.

Uppland Runic Inscription Fv1953;263 or U Fv1953;263 is the Rundata catalog listing for a Viking Age memorial runestone that was discovered at Helenelund, which is in Sollentuna, Stockholm County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Uppland.

Uppland Runic Inscription 896 or U 896 is the Rundata catalog listing for a Viking Age memorial runestone originally located at Håga in the historic province of Uppland, Sweden, but is now at the Universitetsparken of Uppsala University.

The Grällsta Runestone, listed as Västmanland Runic Inscription 27 or Vs 27 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Grällsta, which is about nine kilometers northeast of Ransta, Västmanland County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Västmanland. A second runestone that has been designated as Västmanland Runic Inscription 28 or Vs 28 was once located in Grällsta, but it is now considered to be lost.

Uppland Runic Inscription 171 Rundata catalog listing for a Viking Age memorial runestone that is located in Söderby

Uppland Runic Inscription 171 or U 171 is the Rundata catalog listing for a Viking Age memorial runestone that is located in Söderby, which is four kilometers west of Vaxholm, Stockholm County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Uppland.

Uppland Runic Inscription 210 or U 210 is the Rundata catalog listing for a Viking Age memorial runic inscription which is carved on a rock-face that is located in Åsta, which is three kilometers east of Vallentuna, Stockholm County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Uppland. The inscription is signed by the runemaster Öpir.

Uppland Runic Inscription 541 or U 541 is the Rundata catalog listing for a Viking Age memorial runestone which is located at the Husby-Sjuhundra church, which is five kilometers west of Norrtälje, Stockholm County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Uppland. The inscription is signed by the runemaster Öpir.

The Bolsta Runestones are two Viking Age memorial runestones and two fragments of a third that are located in Bolsta, which is on the east edge of Uppsala, Uppsala County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Uppland. One runestone is signed by the runemaster with the normalized name of Åsmund Kåresson and the other by the runemaster named Öpir.

References

↑ Sawyer, Birgit (2000). The Viking-Age Rune-Stones: Custom and Commemoration in Early Medieval Scandinavia. Oxford University Press. pp. 28–35, 241. ISBN 0-19-820643-7.
↑ Gustavson, Helmer (1976). "Runfynd 1975" (PDF). Fornvännen . Swedish National Heritage Board. 71: 96–109. ISSN 1404-9430 . Retrieved 2010-01-10. p. 107.
1 2 3 Project Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk - Rundata entry for U 181.

Coordinates: 59°33′45″N18°15′11″E / 59.56250°N 18.25306°E / 59.56250; 18.25306

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Sawyer, Birgit (2000). The Viking-Age Rune-Stones: Custom and Commemoration in Early Medieval Scandinavia. Oxford University Press. pp. 28–35, 241. ISBN 0-19-820643-7.

[Gustavson-2] Gustavson, Helmer (1976). "Runfynd 1975" (PDF). Fornvännen . Swedish National Heritage Board. 71: 96–109. ISSN 1404-9430 . Retrieved 2010-01-10. p. 107.

[Rundata-3] 1 2 3 Project Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk - Rundata entry for U 181.