Fot
Encyclopedia
Fot was a runemaster
who flourished in mid-11th century Sweden
.
during the late Viking Age
. His work is representative of the runestone style known as the 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.
Fot is prominent among the known runemasters as the leading representative of the classic Uppland or Urnes runestone style, and has been called the most artistic of the runemasters of that time. A salient trait is the care with which he chose the stones, how he treated the surface of them, the harmonious ornamentation and the evenly chiseled and firmly designed runes. He is also noted for the consistency of his use of the punctuation mark × between the words in his runic inscriptions. Only a few runestones were signed by Fot. Rundata
lists the following inscriptions in Uppland has having Fot's signature: U 167 in Östra Ryds, U 177 in Stav, U 268 in Harby, U 464 in Edeby, U 605 in Stäket, U 638 in Mansängen, U 678 in Skokloster, and U 945 in Danmarks. An additional 40 runestones can be attributed to him based upon stylistic analysis.
The runestone U 678 at the church of Skokloster belongs to his most famous works.
in Ekeby was apparently carved by a son of Fot named Þorgautr, often normalized
as Torgöt Fotsarve, and the influence of Fot's style is apparent in the son's work as this inscription has been classified as being carved in runestone style Pr4 or Urnes style. The runic inscription on this stone states that Þorgautr risti runaR þessaR, Fots arfi, or "Þorgautr, Fótr's heir, carved these runes." Other inscriptions signed by Torgöt Fotsarve include U 746 in Hårby and U 958 in Villinge. An additional 18 inscriptions are listed by Rundata as being attributed to him based on stylistic analysis.
One runestone from Södermanland
, the now-lost Sö 341 in Stavsta, was apparently signed by a different runemaster with the same Þorgautr name.
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...
who flourished in mid-11th century 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....
.
Career
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 stonemason. During the 11th century, when most runestones were raised, there were a few professional runemasters. Fot was active as a runemaster in southern UpplandUppland
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...
during the late 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,...
. His work is representative of the runestone style known as the 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.
Fot is prominent among the known runemasters as the leading representative of the classic Uppland or Urnes runestone style, and has been called the most artistic of the runemasters of that time. A salient trait is the care with which he chose the stones, how he treated the surface of them, the harmonious ornamentation and the evenly chiseled and firmly designed runes. He is also noted for the consistency of his use of the punctuation mark × between the words in his runic inscriptions. Only a few runestones were signed by Fot. Rundata
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...
lists the following inscriptions in Uppland has having Fot's signature: U 167 in Östra Ryds, U 177 in Stav, U 268 in Harby, U 464 in Edeby, U 605 in Stäket, U 638 in Mansängen, U 678 in Skokloster, and U 945 in Danmarks. An additional 40 runestones can be attributed to him based upon stylistic analysis.
The runestone U 678 at the church of Skokloster belongs to his most famous works.
Torgöt Fotsarve
Runestone U 308Uppland Runic Inscription 308
Uppland Runic Inscription 308 or U 308 is the Rundata catalog designation for a memorial runestone that is located in Ekeby, Stockholm County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Uppland...
in Ekeby was apparently carved by a son of Fot named Þorgautr, often 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 Torgöt Fotsarve, and the influence of Fot's style is apparent in the son's work as this inscription has been classified as being carved in runestone style Pr4 or Urnes style. The runic inscription on this stone states that Þorgautr risti runaR þessaR, Fots arfi, or "Þorgautr, Fótr's heir, carved these runes." Other inscriptions signed by Torgöt Fotsarve include U 746 in Hårby and U 958 in Villinge. An additional 18 inscriptions are listed by Rundata as being attributed to him based on stylistic analysis.
One runestone from 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...
, the now-lost Sö 341 in Stavsta, was apparently signed by a different runemaster with the same Þorgautr name.