Gerlög and Inga
Encyclopedia
Gerlög or Geirlaug and her daughter Inga were two powerful and rich women in 11th century Uppland
, Sweden
. Gerlög and Inga had their dramatic and tragic family saga documented for posterity on several runestones. They lived in a turbulent time of religious wars between Pagans and Christians concerning the sacrifices
at the Temple at Uppsala
, and like many people of their social standing they had chosen the new faith. Their saga has been the centre of an exposition at the Stockholm County Museum
dramatizing their story.
The Hillersjö stone is the main inscription. It recounts that Gerlög married with Germund in her maidenhood, and they had a son who is not named, but Germund drowned and the son died. Then Gerlög remarried with Gudrik and they had several children, but only one survived, who was named Inga. Inga married Ragnfast of Snottsta (also spelled Snåttsta) and they had a son who is not named. Both Ragnfast and the son died, so Inga inherited the estate Snottsta.
The four Snottsta and Vreta stones
at Snottsta and Vreta say that Ragnfast, Inga's husband has died. Ragnfast was the sole inheritor of the estate Snottsta after his father Sigfast. One of the stones gives the central information "she inherited her child". This statement agrees with what is said on the Hillersjö stone, which is that Inga inherited instead of her son, a son who was not named, probably because he was very young. The central message of these runestones is "Inga inherited Snottsta after Ragnfast".
Further information provided by the runestones is that Ragnfast had a housecarl
named Assur. Why this is important is not mentioned, but it is likely that Assur had a strong position in the clan
and may have inherited some of Ragnfast's property.
Furthermore, the Snottsta runestone U 329 contains some information about a third and a fourth woman, Estrid
and Gyrid. It says that Ragnfast is the brother of Gyrid and Estrid, and the reason why this is mentioned is possibly because there was a disagreement about the inheritance. What is clear is that they are mentioned to explain how they relate to Inga.
The Hillersjö stone continues the story by telling that Inga married again with a man named Eric, but apparently both Inga and Eric soon died without leaving any children, as Gerlög inherited her daughter.
This text is completed with information by Inga from Runestone U 20/U 21, where it is said that both Gudrik (Gerlög's second husband and Inga's father) and Eric (Inga's second husband) had died.
Uppland
Uppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Gerlög and Inga had their dramatic and tragic family saga documented for posterity on several runestones. They lived in a turbulent time of religious wars between Pagans and Christians concerning the sacrifices
Blót
The blót was Norse pagan sacrifice to the Norse gods and the spirits of the land. The sacrifice often took the form of a sacramental meal or feast. Related religious practices were performed by other Germanic peoples, such as the pagan Anglo-Saxons...
at the Temple at Uppsala
Temple at Uppsala
The Temple at Uppsala was a religious center in Norse paganism once located at what is now Gamla Uppsala , Sweden attested in Adam of Bremen's 11th century work Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum and in Heimskringla, written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century...
, and like many people of their social standing they had chosen the new faith. Their saga has been the centre of an exposition at the Stockholm County Museum
Stockholm County Museum
Stockholm County Museum is a museum covering the history of Stockholm County in central-eastern Sweden except central Stockholm ....
dramatizing their story.
The Hillersjö stone is the main inscription. It recounts that Gerlög married with Germund in her maidenhood, and they had a son who is not named, but Germund drowned and the son died. Then Gerlög remarried with Gudrik and they had several children, but only one survived, who was named Inga. Inga married Ragnfast of Snottsta (also spelled Snåttsta) and they had a son who is not named. Both Ragnfast and the son died, so Inga inherited the estate Snottsta.
The four Snottsta and Vreta stones
Snottsta and Vreta stones
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...
at Snottsta and Vreta say that Ragnfast, Inga's husband has died. Ragnfast was the sole inheritor of the estate Snottsta after his father Sigfast. One of the stones gives the central information "she inherited her child". This statement agrees with what is said on the Hillersjö stone, which is that Inga inherited instead of her son, a son who was not named, probably because he was very young. The central message of these runestones is "Inga inherited Snottsta after Ragnfast".
Further information provided by the runestones is that Ragnfast had a housecarl
Housecarl
In medieval Scandinavia, housecarls and sometimes spelled huscarle or houscarl) were either non-servile manservants, or household troops in personal service of someone, equivalent to a bodyguard to Scandinavian lords and kings. This institution also existed in Anglo-Saxon England after its...
named Assur. Why this is important is not mentioned, but it is likely that Assur had a strong position in the clan
Norse clans
The Scandinavian clan or ætt was a social group based on common descent or on the formal acceptance into the group at a þing.-History:...
and may have inherited some of Ragnfast's property.
Furthermore, the Snottsta runestone U 329 contains some information about a third and a fourth woman, Estrid
Estrid
Estrid was a rich and powerful 11th century Swedish woman whose long family saga has been recorded on five or six runestones in Uppland, Sweden. This Estrid was the maternal grandmother of the chieftain Jarlabanke of the Jarlabanke clan...
and Gyrid. It says that Ragnfast is the brother of Gyrid and Estrid, and the reason why this is mentioned is possibly because there was a disagreement about the inheritance. What is clear is that they are mentioned to explain how they relate to Inga.
The Hillersjö stone continues the story by telling that Inga married again with a man named Eric, but apparently both Inga and Eric soon died without leaving any children, as Gerlög inherited her daughter.
This text is completed with information by Inga from Runestone U 20/U 21, where it is said that both Gudrik (Gerlög's second husband and Inga's father) and Eric (Inga's second husband) had died.
Sources and external links
- RundataRundataThe 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...
- Inga och Estrid - en såpa för tusen år sedan: Människor, händelser och platser i Ingas och Estrids liv, Människor, händelser och platser i Ingas och Estrids liv.. A page at the Stockholm County Museum.
- Gerlögs berättelse - fakta och fiktion at the Stockholm County Museum.
- Inga & Estrid - en såpa för tusen år sedan, at the Stockholm County Museum.
- Jesch, Judith (1991) Women in the Viking Age. Boydell Press 1991. ISBN 978-0-85115-360-5
- Hillersjö stone (U 29)
- Färentuna RunestonesFärentuna RunestonesThe Färentuna runestones are 11th century runestones labelled U 20, U 21, and U 22 in the Rundata catalog that are located in Färentuna, Uppland, Sweden. Runestones U 20 and U 21 were registered separately although they come from the same original runestone and consequently are called U 20/21...
(U 20/U 21) - Snottsta and Vreta stonesSnottsta and Vreta stonesThe 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...
(U 329, U 330, U 331 and U 332)