Uppland Runic Inscription 905
Encyclopedia
This runic inscription, designated as U 905 in the Rundata
catalog, is on a Viking Age
memorial
runestone that is located in Vänge
, Uppsala County
, Sweden
, which is in the historic provence of Uppland
.
surrounding two beasts and a Christian cross
that is on a granite runestone which is 1.58 meters in height. It was known in the 17th century, and Olof Celsius
is known to have inspected it in 1717 and 1726. Richard Dybeck
, known for authoring the lyrics of the Swedish national anthem Du gamla, Du fria
, attempted to locate the runestone in 1863 but was told that it had been walled up in the church. Before the historical nature of runestones was understood, they were often reused as materials in the construction of roads, bridges, and buildings. The stone was rediscovered during restoration of the church on September 27, 1965, under the threshold of the church porch and raised outside the church.
The runic text states that the stone was raised by a woman named Þorgerðr in memory of three different persons. Although she has the same name as a Norse pagan
goddess, Þorgerðr
, the inscription with its cross is clearly a Christian monument. Although unsigned, the stone has been attributed for stylistic reasons to a runemaster
named Likbjörn. There are three inscriptions known to have been signed by Likbjörn, the now-lost U 1074 in Bälinge, U 1095 in Rörby, and U Fv1976;104
, which was discovered in 1975 at the Uppsala Cathedral
. Other runestones have been attributed to him based on stylistic analysis.
Locally the stone is known as the Vängestenen.
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, is on 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 that is located in Vänge
Vänge
Vänge, previous known as Brunna, is a locality situated in Uppsala Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 1,245 inhabitants in 2005.-See also:*Uppland Runic Inscription 905...
, Uppsala County
Uppsala County
Uppsala County is a county or län on the eastern coast of Sweden. It borders the counties of Stockholm, Södermanland, Västmanland, Gävleborg, and the Baltic Sea.- Province :For History, Geography and Culture see: Uppland...
, 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 provence of Uppland
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...
.
Description
This inscription consists of runic text in the younger futharkYounger 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...
surrounding two beasts and a 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...
that is on a granite runestone which is 1.58 meters in height. It was known in the 17th century, and Olof Celsius
Olof Celsius
Olof Celsius was a Swedish botanist, philologist and clergyman, He was a professor at Uppsala University, Sweden. Celsius was a mentor of the botanist and scientist Carolus Linnaeus...
is known to have inspected it in 1717 and 1726. Richard Dybeck
Richard Dybeck
Richard Dybeck was a Swedish jurist, antiquarian and lyricist, mainly remembered as the author of the lyrics to what is now the Swedish national anthem: Du gamla, Du fria....
, known for authoring the lyrics of the Swedish national anthem Du gamla, Du fria
Du gamla, Du fria
"Du gamla, Du fria" is the de facto national anthem of Sweden. It was originally named "Sång till Norden" , and the first words of its lyrics have become adopted as the title in the interim....
, attempted to locate the runestone in 1863 but was told that it had been walled up in the church. Before the historical nature of runestones was understood, they were often reused as materials in the construction of roads, bridges, and buildings. The stone was rediscovered during restoration of the church on September 27, 1965, under the threshold of the church porch and raised outside the church.
The runic text states that the stone was raised by a woman named Þorgerðr in memory of three different persons. Although she has the same name as 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...
goddess, Þorgerðr
Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr and Irpa
In Norse mythology, Þorgerðr Hölgabrúðr and Irpa are goddesses. Þorgerðr and Irpa appear together in Jómsvíkinga saga, Njáls saga, and Þorleifs þáttr jarlsskálds...
, the inscription with its cross is clearly a Christian monument. Although unsigned, the stone has been attributed for stylistic reasons to 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 Likbjörn. There are three inscriptions known to have been signed by Likbjörn, the now-lost U 1074 in Bälinge, U 1095 in Rörby, and U Fv1976;104
Uppland Runic Inscription Fv1976;104
This runic inscription, designated as U Fv1976;104 in the Rundata catalog, is on a Viking Age memorial runestone that is located at the Uppsala Cathedral, Uppland, Sweden.-Description:...
, which was discovered in 1975 at the Uppsala Cathedral
Uppsala Cathedral
Uppsala Cathedral is a cathedral located centrally in the city of Uppsala, Sweden. It dates back to the late 13th century and at a height of 118.7 m is the tallest church building in Scandinavia. Originally built under Roman Catholicism and used for coronations of the Swedish monarch, since the...
. Other runestones have been attributed to him based on stylistic analysis.
Locally the stone is known as the Vängestenen.
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- * þorker * halfr... (t)o(t)(i)R (l)(i)(t) ri(t)a sten yftiR ala * ok * ermutr ok f(t)iR * brynulfr *
Transcription into Old Norse
- Þorgærðr, Hallfr[iðaR](?)/Hallfr[eðaR](?) dottiR, let retta stæin æftiR Ala/Alla ok Ærnmund ok æftiR Brynulf.
Translation in English
- Þorgerðr, Hallfríðr's(?)/Hallfreðr's(?) daughter, had the stone erected in memory of Áli/Alli and Ernmundr and in memory of Brynjulfr.