Hälsingland Rune Inscription 21
Encyclopedia
Hälsingland Runic Inscription 21, a Viking Age
memorial runestone cataloged as Hs 21 under Rundata
, is located in Jättendal
, Nordanstig Municipality
, Hälsingland
, Sweden
, and is notable as being created by a female runemaster
.
. The runic text uses the word fahido, which means "painted," and on many inscriptions this word is translated as "carved" or "inscribed." Although many runestones had their inscriptions painted, there is no direct evidence that this particular runestone was painted other than the use of this word in the runic text.
Of the personal names in the inscription, Ásmundr means "Devine Hand" and Farthegn means either "Far-Travelling Thegn
" or "Far-Traveling Warrior." The name Thorketill or Þorketil, which includes as a theophoric name element the Norse pagan
god Thor
, signifies a "Vessel of Thor" or "Kettle of Thor," possibly a type of sacrificial cauldron. The Poetic Edda
poem Hymiskviða
includes a story of Thor fetching a large cauldron to brew ale
.
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 runestone cataloged as Hs 21 under 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...
, is located in Jättendal
Jättendal
Jättendal is a locality situated in Nordanstig Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 277 inhabitants in 2005.A runestone carved by a female runemaster, cataloged as HS 21 under Rundata, is located here....
, Nordanstig Municipality
Nordanstig Municipality
Nordanstig Municipality is a municipality in Gävleborg County, east central Sweden.The municipal seat is located in Bergsjö....
, Hälsingland
Hälsingland
' is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. It borders to Gästrikland, Dalarna, Härjedalen, Medelpad and to the Gulf of Bothnia...
, 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....
, and is notable as being created by a female 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...
.
Description
This runestone consists of runic text carved within a band that curves along the stone. This granite runestone, which has a height of two meters, is classified as being carved in runestone style RAK. This is the classification for inscriptions where the runic text band has no dragon or serpent heads and the ends of the runic bands are straight. The inscription states that Gunnborga "painted" the runes. She is the only known female rune carver during this time period in ScandinaviaScandinavia
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,...
. The runic text uses the word fahido, which means "painted," and on many inscriptions this word is translated as "carved" or "inscribed." Although many runestones had their inscriptions painted, there is no direct evidence that this particular runestone was painted other than the use of this word in the runic text.
Of the personal names in the inscription, Ásmundr means "Devine Hand" and Farthegn means either "Far-Travelling Thegn
Thegn
The term thegn , from OE þegn, ðegn "servant, attendant, retainer", is commonly used to describe either an aristocratic retainer of a king or nobleman in Anglo-Saxon England, or as a class term, the majority of the aristocracy below the ranks of ealdormen and high-reeves...
" or "Far-Traveling Warrior." The name Thorketill or Þorketil, which includes as a theophoric name element the 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...
god Thor
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
, signifies a "Vessel of Thor" or "Kettle of Thor," possibly a type of sacrificial cauldron. The Poetic Edda
Poetic Edda
The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. Along with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends, and from the early 19th century...
poem Hymiskviða
Hymiskviða
Hymiskviða is a poem collected in the Poetic Edda. Its contents are somewhat confusing but can be summarized more or less as follows....
includes a story of Thor fetching a large cauldron to brew ale
Ale
Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast. The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste...
.
Inscription
A tranliteration of the runic inscription into roman letters is:- asmuntr * ok fa[r]þ[i]k[l] * þiR ritu stin * þina * aftiR þu[rkatil * faþur sin * a utrunkum * k]unburka faþ[i stin þina in kuþa]
External links
- Image of this runestone from The Swedish National Heritage Board
