Östergötland Runic Inscription MÖLM1960;230
Encyclopedia
Östergötland Runic Inscription MÖLM1960;230 or Ög MÖLM1960;230 is the Rundata
catalog number for a memorial
runestone that is located near a church in Törnevalla, which is 2 kilometers east of Linghem
, Östergötland County
, Sweden
, which was in the historic province of Östergötland
. The runestone has an inscription which refers to a Viking Age
mercantile guild
and depicts a ship.
within an arching text band that is under a depiction of a ship. The inscription is classified as being carved in runestone style
RAK, which is the classification used for text bands that have straight ends and do not have any attached serpent or beast heads.
Ship images appear on several Viking Age runic inscriptions. Other runic inscriptions from the Viking Age which depict ships include DR 77 in Hjermind, DR 119 in Spentrup, DR 220
in Sønder Kirkeby, DR 258 in Bösarp, DR 271
in Tullstorp, DR 328
in Holmby, DR EM85;523 in Farsø, Ög 181
in Ledberg, Ög 224
in Stratomta, Sö 122 in Skresta, Sö 154
in Skarpåker, Sö 158
in Österberga, Sö 164 in Spånga, Sö 351
in Överjärna, Sö 352
in Linga, Vg 51 in Husaby, U 370 in Herresta, U 979
in Gamla Uppsala, U 1052 in Axlunda, U 1161
in Altuna, and Vs 17
in Råby. Three stones, the Hørdum
and Långtora kyrka stones and U 1001 in Rasbo, depict ships but currently do not have any runes on them and may never have had any.
The runic text, which is damaged at the beginning, indicates that the stone is a memorial to a man named Drengr who was the son of a man possibly named Eygeirr, and that the person or persons who sponsored the stone and Drengr were members of a guild. This is one of four runestones that mention guilds in Viking Age Sweden, the others being U 379 in Kyrkogården, U 391 in Prästgatan, and Ög 64
in Bjälbo
. These stones and others discussing félag
s are evidence of the trading activities during this period of Scandinavia
n history. One scholar has suggested that the image of the ship may have been a type of heraldic badge
or symbol of the guild that raised the stone.
The name Drengr is a bit unusual as it normally is a title associated with warriors or merchants. However, there are several examples from Scandinavia in which an Old Norse
word that is a designation of status has become a personal name. In the inscription, each word in the runic text is separated with a punctuation mark consisting of two dots except for the name Drengr, which has been emphasized by using a different word divider consisting of a single dot.
The Rundata catalog number for this stone, Ög MÖLM1960;230, refers to the year and page number of the 1960–61 edition of Meddelanden från Östergötlands ocb Linköpings stads Museum where the inscription was first described.
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 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 near a church in Törnevalla, which is 2 kilometers east of Linghem
Linghem, Sweden
Linghem is a locality situated in Linköping Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 2,484 inhabitants in 2005.- References :...
, Östergötland County
Östergötland County
Östergötland County is a county or län in southeastern Sweden. It borders the counties of Kalmar to the southeast, Jönköping to the southwest, Västra Götaland to the west, Örebro to the northwest, Södermanland to the northeast, and the Baltic Sea to the east.Östergötland County has a population of...
, 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 was in the historic province of Östergötland
Östergötland
Östergötland, English exonym: East Gothland, is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland, and the Baltic Sea. In older English literature, one might also encounter the Latinized version, Ostrogothia...
. The runestone has an inscription which refers to 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,...
mercantile guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...
and depicts a ship.
Description
Runestone Ög MÖLM1960;230 was rediscovered in the base of a church tower in 1960. Before the historic significance of runestones was understood, they were often reused as building materials for roads, churches, and other buildings. After being repaired, it was raised outside of the church. The runic inscription on this granite stone, which is 2.4 meters in height, consists of 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...
within an arching text band that is under a depiction of a ship. The inscription is classified as being carved 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, which is the classification used for text bands that have straight ends and do not have any attached serpent or beast heads.
Ship images appear on several Viking Age runic inscriptions. Other runic inscriptions from the Viking Age which depict ships include DR 77 in Hjermind, DR 119 in Spentrup, DR 220
Sønder Kirkeby Runestone
The Sønder Kirkeby Runestone, listed as runic inscription DR 220 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone that was discovered in Sønder Kirkeby, which is located about 5 kilometers east of Nykøbing Falster, Denmark.-Description:...
in Sønder Kirkeby, DR 258 in Bösarp, DR 271
Tullstorp Runestone
The Tullstorp Runestone is a Viking Age memorial runestone, listed as DR 271 in the Rundata catalog, that is located in Tullstorp, Scania, Sweden.-Description:...
in Tullstorp, DR 328
Holmby Runestone
The Holmby Runestone, listed as DR 328 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone with an image of a ship that is located in Holmby, which is about 2 kilometers southeast of Flyinge, Scania, Sweden.-Description:...
in Holmby, DR EM85;523 in Farsø, Ög 181
Ledberg stone
The Ledberg stone, designated as Ög 181 under Rundata, is an image- and runestone located in Östergötland, Sweden.-Description:The Ledberg stone, similar to Thorwald's Cross, a partially surviving runestone erected at Kirk Andreas on the Isle of Man, features a figure with his foot at the mouth of...
in Ledberg, Ög 224
Östergötland Runic Inscription 224
Östergötland Runic Inscription 224 or Ög 224 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone that is located in Stratomta, which is 9 kilometers east of Linköping, Östergötland, Sweden...
in Stratomta, Sö 122 in Skresta, Sö 154
Skarpåker Stone
The Skarpåker Stone, designated by Rundata as Sö 154, is a Viking Age memorial runestone that was originally located in Skarpåker, Nyköping, Sörmland, Sweden, and which dates to the early 11th century.-Description:...
in Skarpåker, Sö 158
Södermanland Runic Inscription 158
Södermanland Runic Inscription 158 or Sö 158 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Österberga, which is one kilometer southwest of Ärsta and three kilometers southwest of Runtuna, Södermanland, Sweden...
in Österberga, Sö 164 in Spånga, Sö 351
Södermanland Runic Inscription 351
Södermanland Runic Inscription 351 or Sö 351 is the Rundata catalog number of a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Överjärna, which is part of Järna, Stockholm County, Sweden, which was part of the historic province of Södermanland...
in Överjärna, Sö 352
Södermanland Runic Inscription 352
Södermanland Runic Inscription 352 or Sö 352 is a Viking Age memorial runestone located at Linga, which is about two kilometers south of Järna, Stockholm County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Södermanland...
in Linga, Vg 51 in Husaby, U 370 in Herresta, U 979
Uppland Runic Inscription 979
Uppland Runic Inscription 979 or U 979 is the Rundata designation for a Viking Age runestone located at Gamla Uppsala, Sweden, which depicts a ship.-Description:U 979 is a damaged runestone located near the north entrance to the church at Gamla Uppsala...
in Gamla Uppsala, U 1052 in Axlunda, 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, and Vs 17
Västmanland Runic Inscription 17
Västmanland Runic Inscription 17 or Vs 17 is the Rundata designation for a Viking Age memorial runestone with an image of a ship that is located in Råby, which is about two kilometers east of Tortuna, Västmanland County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Västmanland.-Description:The...
in Råby. Three stones, the Hørdum
Hørdum stone
The Hørdum stone is a Viking Age picture stone discovered in Hørdum, Thisted Municipality, North Denmark Region, Denmark, that depicts a legend from Norse mythology involving the god Thor and Jörmungandr, the Midgard serpent.-Description:...
and Långtora kyrka stones and U 1001 in Rasbo, depict ships but currently do not have any runes on them and may never have had any.
The runic text, which is damaged at the beginning, indicates that the stone is a memorial to a man named Drengr who was the son of a man possibly named Eygeirr, and that the person or persons who sponsored the stone and Drengr were members of a guild. This is one of four runestones that mention guilds in Viking Age Sweden, the others being U 379 in Kyrkogården, U 391 in Prästgatan, and Ög 64
Bjälbo Runestones
The Bjälbo Runestones are three Viking Age memorial runestones, one of which has been lost, located at Bjälbo, which is a village in Mjölby Municipality, Östergötland, Sweden...
in Bjälbo
Bjälbo
Bjälbo is a small village in Mjölby Municipality, Östergötland, Sweden.The medieval House of Bjelbo had a church and a manor house at Bjälbo. Today the church tower is preserved.In 1173, King Kol Sverkerson was killed in a battle at Bjälbo.-See also:...
. These stones and others discussing félag
Félag
Félag was a joint financial venture between partners in Viking Age society.-Etymology:The word félag is constructed by the word fé and a verbal base denoting "lay", the meaning being "to lay property together."The Old Norse word félagi "companion, comrade" originally meaning "one who has félag...
s are evidence of the trading activities during this period of Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n history. One scholar has suggested that the image of the ship may have been a type of heraldic badge
Heraldic badge
A heraldic badge is an emblem or personal device worn as a badge to indicate allegiance to or the property of an individual or family. Medieval forms are usually called a livery badge, and also a cognizance...
or symbol of the guild that raised the stone.
The name Drengr is a bit unusual as it normally is a title associated with warriors or merchants. However, there are several examples from Scandinavia in which an 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 that is a designation of status has become a personal name. In the inscription, each word in the runic text is separated with a punctuation mark consisting of two dots except for the name Drengr, which has been emphasized by using a different word divider consisting of a single dot.
The Rundata catalog number for this stone, Ög MÖLM1960;230, refers to the year and page number of the 1960–61 edition of Meddelanden från Östergötlands ocb Linköpings stads Museum where the inscription was first described.
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- ...---a : oliR : ristu : stin : þins- : (i)f(t)iR * (t)rik * (a)ukis : sun : kilta : sin :
Transcription into Old Norse
- ... AlveR/ØlveR ræistu stæin þenns[a] æftiR Dræng, ØygæiRs(?) sun, gilda sinn.
Translation in English
- ... Ôlvir raised this stone in memory of Drengr, Eygeirr's(?) son, his guild-brother.
External links
- Photograph of runestone in 1985 – Swedish National Heritage Board