Karlevi Runestone
Encyclopedia
The Karlevi Runestone, designated as Öl 1 by Rundata
, is commonly dated to the late 10th century and located near the Kalmarsund straight in Karlevi on the island of Öland
, Sweden
. It is one of the most notable and prominent runestones and constitutes the oldest record of a stanza of skald
ic verse.
's daughter Þrúðr and Viðurr, one of the names for Odin
, in kenning
s for "chieftain." In the second half of the stanza a reference is made to Denmark
, but it is not clear what exactly this means in this poetic context.
The stone is contemporary with the Battle of the Fýrisvellir
and it is consequently possible that the stone was raised by warriors who partook in it, in memory of their lord.
The inscription, which is on a granite stone that is 1.4 meters in height, is classified as being in runestone style
RAK. This is the classification with inscriptions with runic text in bands that have no attached dragon or serpent heads and the ends of the runic bands are straight. The non-runic inscription on the reverse side appears to be accompanied by a small Christian cross
and a Norse pagan
Thor
's hammer, or Mjöllnir. Other surviving runestones or inscriptions depicting Thor's hammer include runestones U 1161
in Altuna, Sö 86
in Åby, Sö 111
in Stenkvista, Sö 140 in Jursta, Vg 113 in Lärkegapet, DR 26
in Laeborg, DR 48
in Hanning, DR 120 in Spentrup, and DR 331 in Gårdstånga
.
A more idiomatic English translation of the poetic stanza is provided by Foote & Wilson:
The reverse side of the stone also has a non-runic inscription In nomin[e] (?) Ie[su] (?) which may mean "In the name of Jesus."
Rundata
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...
, is commonly dated to the late 10th century and located near the Kalmarsund straight in Karlevi on the island of Öland
Öland
' is the second largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area of 1,342 km² and is located in the Baltic Sea just off the coast of Småland. The island has 25,000 inhabitants, but during Swedish Midsummer it is visited by up to 500,000 people...
, 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....
. It is one of the most notable and prominent runestones and constitutes the oldest record of a stanza of skald
Skald
The skald was a member of a group of poets, whose courtly poetry is associated with the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic leaders during the Viking Age, who composed and performed renditions of aspects of what we now characterise as Old Norse poetry .The most prevalent metre of skaldic poetry is...
ic verse.
Description
The runic inscription on the Karlevi Runestone is partly in prose, partly in verse. It is the only example of a complete scaldic stanza preserved on a runestone and is composed in the "lordly meter" the dróttkvætt. It is notable for mentioning ThorThor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
's daughter Þrúðr and Viðurr, one of the names for Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
, in kenning
Kenning
A kenning is a type of literary trope, specifically circumlocution, in the form of a compound that employs figurative language in place of a more concrete single-word noun. Kennings are strongly associated with Old Norse and later Icelandic and Anglo-Saxon poetry...
s for "chieftain." In the second half of the stanza a reference is made to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, but it is not clear what exactly this means in this poetic context.
The stone is contemporary with the Battle of the Fýrisvellir
Battle of the Fýrisvellir
The Battle of Fýrisvellir was a battle for the throne of Sweden which was fought in the 980s on the plain called Fýrisvellir, where modern Uppsala is situated, by Eric the Victorious and his nephew Styrbjörn the Strong...
and it is consequently possible that the stone was raised by warriors who partook in it, in memory of their lord.
The inscription, which is on a granite stone that is 1.4 meters in height, is classified as being in runestone style
Runestone styles
The runestone styles varied during the Viking Age. The early runestones were simple in design, but towards the end of the runestone era they became increasingly complex and made by travelling runemasters such as Öpir and Visäte....
RAK. This is the classification with inscriptions with runic text in bands that have no attached dragon or serpent heads and the ends of the runic bands are straight. The non-runic inscription on the reverse side appears to be accompanied by a small Christian cross
Christian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
and a Norse pagan
Norse paganism
Norse paganism is the religious traditions of the Norsemen, a Germanic people living in the Nordic countries. Norse paganism is therefore a subset of Germanic paganism, which was practiced in the lands inhabited by the Germanic tribes across most of Northern and Central Europe in the Viking Age...
Thor
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
's hammer, or Mjöllnir. Other surviving runestones or inscriptions depicting Thor's hammer include runestones U 1161
Altuna Runestone
The Altuna Runestone , listed as U 1161 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone with images from Norse mythology that is located in Altuna, Uppland, Sweden.- Description :...
in Altuna, Sö 86
Södermanland Runic Inscription 86
thumb|300px|right|A drawing of runic inscription Sö 86 published in 1876.Sö 86 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runic inscription located in Åby, Södermanland, Sweden...
in Åby, Sö 111
Stenkvista runestone
thumb|250px|right|The Stenkvista runestone in Södermanland, Sweden, with its Thor's hammer.The Stenkvista runestone, designated as runic inscription Sö 111 in the Rundata catalog, is a memorial runestone located near the church at Stenkvista, which is two kilometers east of Skogstorp, Södermanland...
in Stenkvista, Sö 140 in Jursta, Vg 113 in Lärkegapet, DR 26
Laeborg Runestone
The Læborg or Laeborg Runestone, listed as DR 26 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone located outside of the village hall or Forsamlinghus in Læborg, which is about 3 kilometers north of Vejen, Denmark...
in Laeborg, DR 48
Danish Runic Inscription 48
Danish Runic Inscription 48 or DR 48 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone from Hanning, which is about eight kilometers north of Skjern, Denmark...
in Hanning, DR 120 in Spentrup, and DR 331 in Gårdstånga
Gårdstånga
Gårdstånga is a locality situated in Eslöv Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 339 inhabitants in 2005. Route E66 ran straight through the village until 1984 when the road routed was outside the community....
.
Inscription
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters:- + s-a... --(s)- i(a)s * satr * aiftir * si(b)(a) * kuþa * sun * fultars * in hons ** liþi * sati * at * u * -ausa-þ-... +: fulkin : likr : hins : fulkþu : flaistr (:)* uisi * þat * maistar * taiþir : tulka * þruþar : traukr : i : þaimsi * huki * munat : raiþ:uiþur : raþa : ruk:starkr * i * tanmarku : --ntils : iarmun**kruntar : urkrontari : lonti
S[t]æ[inn] [sa]s[i] es sattr æftiR Sibba Goða, sun Fuldars, en hans liði satti at ... ...
|
This stone is set up in memory of Sibbi Góði/Goði, son of Foldarr, and his retinue set on ...
|
This stone is placed in memory of Sibbi the good, Fuldarr's son, and his retinue placed on ... ...
|
A more idiomatic English translation of the poetic stanza is provided by Foote & Wilson:
- Tree of Thrúd of hostilities, the man whom the greatest virtues accompanied - most men know that - lies buried in this mound; a more upright chariot-Vidur of wondrous-wide ground of Endil will not rule, strife-strong, land in Denmark.
The reverse side of the stone also has a non-runic inscription In nomin[e] (?) Ie[su] (?) which may mean "In the name of Jesus."