| Uppland Runic Inscription 53 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created | unknown |
| Discovered | Gamla Stan, Stockholm, Sweden |
| Rundata ID | U 53 |
| Runemaster | unknown |
| Text – Native | |
| Old Norse:Thorsteinn ok Freygunnr thau ... stein eptir ..., son sinn. [1] | |
| Translation | |
| Thorsteinn and Freygunnr, they ... stone in memory of ... their son. [1] | |
Uppland Runic Inscription 53 is a runestone built into a wall in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden.
The stone first appears in historical records in the 17th century, when Johannes Bureus (1568-1652) wrote down parts of its message. Preserved written records from the old town give no hints of a developed knowledge in writing and reading runes in Stockholm. Also, as these stones are too heavy to be transported very far. Therefore they are believed to have been brought in from nearby Iron Age settlements, like those discovered on both Norrmalm and Södermalm, and they are believed to be considerably older than the city itself. [2]
The runestone sits at the intersection of the thoroughfares Prästgatan and Kåkbrinken. It is not remarkable for its size or beauty. Nonetheless, it is famed because of its prominent location in the pathway of tens of thousands of tourists and school children.
It is about half a metre tall and richly decorated with an arabesque of winding loops depicting a dragon. The body of the dragon carries fragments of a commemorative message: "Torsten and Frögunn had the stone erected after their son." The son's name remains unknown.
ᚦᚬᚱ[..]ᛅᛁᚾ
þor--ain
᛫
*
ᛅᚢᚴ
auk
᛫
*
ᚠᚱᛅᚤᚴᚢᚾ
fraykun
᛫
'
ᚦᛅᚢ[...]
þau...-
᛫
*
ᛋᛏᛅᛁᚾ
stain
᛫
'
ᛁᚠᛏᛁᛦ
iftiʀ
[...]
-...
ᛋᚢᚾ
sun
ᛋᛁᚾ
sin
While the stone is not signed and its style can not be associated with any known runemaster, it is typical for stones carved in Uppland, north of Stockholm, during the later part of the 11th century. The inscription is classified as being carved in runestone style Pr4, 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. An interesting detail of the inscription is the cross-shaped engraving on centre right, probably added to the stone after its completion to underline its Christian message. [2]
A laser range scanner analysis of the stone was made by Laila Kitzler Åhfeldt and Magnus Källström in 2000. 16 scans of individual grooves on the stone were processed mathematically to produce 3D-charts. These unveiled statistical differences in the depth and shapes of the grooves, variations interpreted as stroke patterns from more than one carver. The result showed the ornaments of the stone were most likely cut by an experienced master (deep grooves, regular stroke pattern) and a less proficient apprentice (more shallow grooves, irregular strokes), while the cross shape might very well have been added after the stone was erected (when the weight of the mason tools quickly makes the cutting awkward). The stone on Prästgatan is however both damaged and shabby, and as the laser analysis have proven an accuracy of about 80 per cent on freshly cut stones, the analysis is far from certain. [2]
This runestone is one of three found in the old town. A second runestone found in the old town, U 274, originally located in a wall by the southern city gate near Slussen, is today kept in the Museum of Medieval Stockholm. It contains the words "Karl and Adisla had [this stone] erected [after] Arnsil, [their] father" and is similar in style to stones found in Södermanland south of Stockholm. The third runestone, U 54, is today lost but was once located in a stairway in the church Riddarholmskyrkan. [2]
The Hillersjö stone, listed in the Rundata catalog as U 29 and located at Hillersjö, which is about four kilometers north of Stenhamra on Färingsö, is a runic Younger Futhark inscription that tells, in Old Norse, the tragic real life family saga of Gerlög and her daughter Inga. It is the longest runic inscription in Uppland and the second longest one in Sweden after the Rök runestone.
At Broby bro in Uppland, Sweden there are six runestones. U 139, U 140 and U 151 still stand by the road, but U 135, U 136 and U 137 have been moved a distance away from the road.
The Hargs bro runic inscriptions, or U 309, U 310 and U 311, are 11th century Younger Futhark inscriptions in Old Norse on bedrock in Skånela Parish, Uppland, Sweden.
The runestones known as U 101 is located in Sollentuna, and U 143 and U 147 are located in Täby; all three are in Uppland, Sweden. They are all in the style Pr4 and thus dated to the period 1060-1100 during which they were carved in connection with the construction of a road from Hagby to Ed at Edsviken. They belong to a group of c. 20 runestones called the Jarlabanke Runestones that are connected to the local chieftain Jarlabanke and his clan. Together with the Broby bro Runestones and the Hargs bro runic inscriptions these particular runestones, however, centre on the female matriarch of the clan called Estrid, who was the grandmother of Jarlabanke.
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 Ingvar runestones is the name of around 26 Varangian Runestones that were raised in commemoration of those who died in the Swedish Viking expedition to the Caspian Sea of Ingvar the Far-Travelled.
Kåkbrinken is a street in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Stretching from the western waterfront Munkbroleden, to the central square Stortorget, it forms a parallel street to Yxsmedsgränd, Solgränd, and Bedoirsgränd, while being crossed by Munkbrogatan, Lilla Nygatan, Stora Nygatan, Västerlånggatan, and Prästgatan.
Prästgatan is a street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden, stretching from a cul-de-sac west of the Royal Palace to the street Österlånggatan in the southern corner of the old town. Prästgatan forms a parallel street to Västerlånggatan, Trångsund, Skomakargatan, and Svartmangatan. It is intercepted by Storkyrkobrinken, Ankargränd, Spektens Gränd, Solgränd, Kåkbrinken, Tyska Brinken, Tyska Stallplan, Mårten Trotzigs Gränd, and Norra Benickebrinken.
The Orkesta Runestones are a set of 11th-century runestones engraved in Old Norse with the Younger Futhark alphabet that are located at the church of Orkesta, northeast of Stockholm in 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 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 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 Lilla Vilunda runestones are three Viking Age memorial runestones that were erected by members of the same family and which are located at Lilla Vilunda in Upplands Väsby, Stockholm County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Uppland.
Uppland Runic Inscription 80 or U 80 is the Rundata catalog listing for a Viking Age memorial runic inscription that is located in Sundby, which is in Solna Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Uppland.
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 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.
Uppland Runic Inscription 92 is carved on a rune that now stands in the park at Jakobsberg folk highschool in Jakobsberg, in Järfälla Municipality just north of Stockholm. The rock is lightgrey granite.
Runestone U 582 is a runestone formerly located by the church of Söderby-Karl, Norrtälje municipality, in the Roslagen area on the east coast of Sweden. It has been lost since some time before 1830. The runestone has been dated to the 11th century and includes what is probably the earliest known written mention of Finland.
