Skåäng Runestone
Encyclopedia
The Skåäng Runestone, designated as Sö 32 under Rundata
, is an Iron Age runestone located in Skåäng, Södermanland
, Sweden
, which is inscribed in Proto-Norse with the elder futhark
. During the Viking Age
, a second runic inscription was added in Old Norse
using the younger futhark
.
The Elder Futhark inscription is harija ÷ leugaz which is interpreted as the Proto-Norse names Harija and Leugaz. The name Harija is a hypocoristic
form of names ending with -harjaz ("warrior"), or a name beginning with Harja-, and it is part of the place name Häringe. The name Leugaz is a nomen agentis of the same word as the Gothic
liugan ("swear an oath") and means "oath taker." Between the two names there is a
rune (the shape of younger futhark rune hagall), but there is no consensus on how to interpret it. Two different forms of the z rune algiz
are used in this inscription, the first a double or mirrored form similar to that used in the inscription on the Charnay fibula
and the second the standard form.
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 an Iron Age runestone located in Skåäng, Södermanland
Södermanland
', sometimes referred to under its Latin form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a historical province or landskap on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanland and Uppland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea.In Swedish, the province name is...
, 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....
, which is inscribed in Proto-Norse with the elder futhark
Elder Futhark
The Elder Futhark is the oldest form of the runic alphabet, used by Germanic tribes for Northwest Germanic and Migration period Germanic dialects of the 2nd to 8th centuries for inscriptions on artifacts such as jewellery, amulets, tools, weapons and runestones...
. During the Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
, a second runic inscription was added in Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
using the younger futhark
Younger Futhark
The Younger Futhark, also called Scandinavian runes, is a runic alphabet, a reduced form of the Elder Futhark, consisting of only 16 characters, in use from ca. 800 CE...
.
Description
The Skåäng Runestone consists of a younger futhark inscription that is within a serpent on the edge of the stone and an older inscription in the center of the stone. The younger futhark inscription was discovered in 1830, but the older central inscription was not noticed until 1867. The younger futhark inscription is classified as being carved in runestone style Fp.The Elder Futhark inscription is harija ÷ leugaz which is interpreted as the Proto-Norse names Harija and Leugaz. The name Harija is a hypocoristic
Hypocoristic
A hypocorism is a shorter form of a word or given name, for example, when used in more intimate situations as a nickname or term of endearment.- Derivation :Hypocorisms are often generated as:...
form of names ending with -harjaz ("warrior"), or a name beginning with Harja-, and it is part of the place name Häringe. The name Leugaz is a nomen agentis of the same word as the Gothic
Gothic language
Gothic is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is known primarily from the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century copy of a 4th-century Bible translation, and is the only East Germanic language with a sizable Text corpus...
liugan ("swear an oath") and means "oath taker." Between the two names there is a
rune (the shape of younger futhark rune hagall), but there is no consensus on how to interpret it. Two different forms of the z rune algizAlgiz
The Algiz is part of the ancient Nordic and Anglo-Saxon runic alphabet, often equated to the modern day z, however was traditionally pronounced yr. The letter has come to symbolize many neo-pagan religions and is often worn as a pendant...
are used in this inscription, the first a double or mirrored form similar to that used in the inscription on the Charnay fibula
Charnay Fibula
The Charnay Fibula is a mid 6th century fibula or brooch which was discovered in Burgundy in 1857. It has a runic inscription consisting of a horizontal partial listing of the first twenty of the twenty-four rune sequence of the elder futhark and two undeciphered vertical lines. The full listing of...
and the second the standard form.
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- §A harija ÷ leugaz
- §B skanmals auk × olauf × þau × litu × kiara × merki × þausi × eftiR × suain × faþur × sin kuþ × hialbi salu hans
Transcription into Proto Norse and Old Norse
- §A Harja, Leugaz
- §B Skammhals ok Olof þau letu gæra mærki þausi æftiR Svæin, faður sinn. Guð hialpi salu hans.
Translation in English
- §A Harja, Leugaz
- §B Skammhals and Ólôf, they had these landmarks made in memory of Sveinn, their father. May God help his soul.
Other sources
- The article Skåängstenen in Nordisk familjebokNordisk familjebokNordisk familjebok is a Swedish encyclopedia, published between 1876 and 1957.- History :The first edition was published in 20 volumes between 1876 and 1899. The first edition is known as the "Iðunn edition" because of the picture of Iðunn on the cover...
(1917).(Lexicon of Nordic personal names before the 8th century)