Södermanland Runic Inscription 178
Encyclopedia
Södermanland Runic Inscription 178 or Sö 178 is the Rundata
catalog number for a Viking Age
memorial
runestone which is located at Gripsholm Castle
, Södermanland County
, Sweden
, which is in the historic province of Södermanland
.
. The serpents have binding at their heads and near the end of their tails as if to bind them to the stone. The inscription is classified as being carved in runestone
style Pr4, which is also known as 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 stone was discovered in 1730 during excavation work near the castle and moved to its current location in 1926. It is located near Sö 179 which is one of the Ingvar runestones
.
The runic text states that two brothers named Helgulfr and Eyjulfr raised the stone as a memorial to their brother Ketilmundr and a bridge in memory of their mother Sóma. The use of the word "stones" indicates that the memorial once consisted of a second stone, which has been lost. The Old Norse
word for bridge could also mean an embankment or ford. The reference to bridge-building is fairly common in runestones during this time period. Some are Christian
references related to passing the bridge into the afterlife. At this time, the Catholic Church sponsored the building of roads and bridges through a practice similar to the use of indulgence
s in return for the church's intercession for the soul of the departed. There are over one hundred examples of bridge runestones that are dated from the eleventh century, including inscriptions Sö 101 in Ramsundsberget, U 489 in Morby, and U 617 in Bro. The first word of the runic text hikkulfr has a double k-rune
. Since double consenents are rare in Viking Age runic inscriptions
, if the first rune is considered to have been a carving error for an l-rune
, the word would be the unusual name Helgulfr. Another possibility is that the word is the name Häggulv. The mother's name Sóma is otherwise unknown from this period, and may be related to the Old Norse word somi meaning "glory" or "honor."
The inscription is signed by a runemaster
named Brúni, which is normalized
as Brune, who was the brother of Sóma. The names of runemasters on many inscriptions are not located on the larger, main loop serpent with the main text, but are often on smaller serpents or adjacent to the main serpent. On Sö 178 Brune's name is on one of the two serpents with the main text, and that may be because he was related to the sponsors of the runestone. Brune also signed inscription Sö 55 in Bjudby, which is one of the England runestones
, and the inscription Sö 177 from Kärnbo is attributed to him based upon stylistic analysis.
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...
catalog number for a 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,...
memorial
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
runestone which is located at Gripsholm Castle
Gripsholm Castle
Gripsholm Castle is a castle in Mariefred, Södermanland, in Sweden and is regarded as one of Sweden's finest historical monuments. It is located by lake Mälaren in south central Sweden, in the municipality of Strängnäs, about 60 km west of Stockholm....
, Södermanland County
Södermanland County
Södermanland County is a county or län on the south east coast of Sweden. It borders the counties of Östergötland, Örebro, Västmanland, Uppsala, Stockholm and to 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....
, which is in the historic province of 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...
.
Description
This runestone, which is made of sandstone and is 1.9 meters in height, consists of runic text carved on two serpents that bracket a Christian crossChristian 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...
. The serpents have binding at their heads and near the end of their tails as if to bind them to the stone. The inscription is classified as being carved in runestone
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....
style Pr4, which is also known as Urnes style
Urnes style
The Urnes style was the last phase of Scandinavian animal art during the second half of the 11th century and in the early 12th century. The preceding phases of Scandinavia's Viking Age animal ornamentation are usually categorized as Oseberg style, Borre style, Jelling style, Mammen style and...
. 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 stone was discovered in 1730 during excavation work near the castle and moved to its current location in 1926. It is located near Sö 179 which is one of the Ingvar runestones
Ingvar runestones
The Ingvar Runestones is the name of c. 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....
.
The runic text states that two brothers named Helgulfr and Eyjulfr raised the stone as a memorial to their brother Ketilmundr and a bridge in memory of their mother Sóma. The use of the word "stones" indicates that the memorial once consisted of a second stone, which has been lost. The 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....
word for bridge could also mean an embankment or ford. The reference to bridge-building is fairly common in runestones during this time period. Some are Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
references related to passing the bridge into the afterlife. At this time, the Catholic Church sponsored the building of roads and bridges through a practice similar to the use of indulgence
Indulgence
In Catholic theology, an indulgence is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven. The indulgence is granted by the Catholic Church after the sinner has confessed and received absolution...
s in return for the church's intercession for the soul of the departed. There are over one hundred examples of bridge runestones that are dated from the eleventh century, including inscriptions Sö 101 in Ramsundsberget, U 489 in Morby, and U 617 in Bro. The first word of the runic text hikkulfr has a double k-rune
Kaunan
The k-rune is called Kaun in both the Norwegian and Icelandic rune poems, meaning "ulcer". The reconstructed Proto-Germanic name is *Kaunan. It is also known as Kenaz , based on its Anglo-Saxon name.The Elder Futhark shape is likely directly based on Old Italic c / Latin C...
. Since double consenents are rare in Viking Age runic inscriptions
Runic inscriptions
A runic inscription is an inscription made in one of the various runic alphabets. The body of runic inscriptions falls into the three categories of Elder Futhark , Anglo-Frisian Futhorc and Younger Futhark .The total 350 known inscriptions in the Elder...
, if the first rune is considered to have been a carving error for an l-rune
Laguz
*Laguz or *Laukaz is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the l-rune , *laguz meaning "water" or "lake" and *laukaz meaning "leek". In the Anglo-Saxon rune poem, it is called lagu "ocean". In the Younger Futhark, the rune is called lögr "waterfall" in Icelandic and logr "water" in Norse.The...
, the word would be the unusual name Helgulfr. Another possibility is that the word is the name Häggulv. The mother's name Sóma is otherwise unknown from this period, and may be related to the Old Norse word somi meaning "glory" or "honor."
The inscription is signed by a runemaster
Runemaster
A runemaster or runecarver is a specialist in making runestones.Most early medieval Scandinavians were probably literate in runes, and most people probably carved messages on pieces of bone and wood. However, it was difficult to make runestones, and in order to master it one also needed to be a...
named Brúni, which is normalized
Old Norse orthography
The orthography of the Old Norse language was diverse, being written in both Runic and Latin alphabets, with many spelling conventions, variant letterforms, and unique letters and signs. In modern times, scholars established a standardized spelling for the language. When Old Norse names are used in...
as Brune, who was the brother of Sóma. The names of runemasters on many inscriptions are not located on the larger, main loop serpent with the main text, but are often on smaller serpents or adjacent to the main serpent. On Sö 178 Brune's name is on one of the two serpents with the main text, and that may be because he was related to the sponsors of the runestone. Brune also signed inscription Sö 55 in Bjudby, which is one of the England runestones
England Runestones
The England runestones is a group of about 30 runestones that 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...
, and the inscription Sö 177 from Kärnbo is attributed to him based upon stylistic analysis.
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- hikkulfr × auk × aulfr × þaiR × letu × raiisa × staina × baþa × at + broþur × sin × kitilmut * auk × bro × iftiR × somu × moþur × sina × ia × iruni × (h)iuk × broþiR + hinaR ×
Transcription into Old Norse
- HælgulfR(?)/HægulfR(?) ok ØyulfR þæiR letu ræisa stæina baða at broður sinn Kætilmund ok bro æftiR Somu, moður sina. En Bruni(?) hiogg, broðiR hennaR.
Translation in English
- Helgulfr(?) and Eyjulfr, they had both of the stones raised in memory of their brother Ketilmundr; and the bridge in memory of Sóma, their mother. And Brúni(?), her brother, cut.
External links
- Photograph of Sö 178 in 1996 - Swedish National Heritage Board