Sparlösa Runestone
Encyclopedia
The Sparlösa Runestone, listed as Vg 119 in the Rundata
catalog, is located in Västergötland
and is the second most famous Swedish runestone after the Rök Runestone
.
The stone is 1.77 metres tall and it is dated to about 800 AD based upon its transitional use of rune forms from both the elder
and younger futhark
, but it has a probably younger line added to it saying Gisli made this memorial after Gunnar, his brother. The dating is based on the style of the images, such as a ship, which suggest the 8th century, like similar images from Gotland
. However, a sail on the ship suggests a later dating than the 8th century.
The runestone is famous for its depictions and its tantalizing and mysterious references to a great battle, the names Eric and Alrik, the father who resided in Uppsala
and the text descending from the gods. The stone provides an early attestation of the place name Uppsala, and the two personal names Eric ("complete ruler") and Alrik ("everyone's ruler") are both royal names, known to have been worn by the semi-legendary Swedish Yngling
dynasty at Uppsala. Moreover, the mention of a great battle is suggestive of the equally semi-legendary Swedish-Geatish wars
that are mentioned in Beowulf
.
The words runaR ræginkundu meaning "runes of devine origin" are also in the runic text on the Noleby Runestone
and would appear in stanza 79 of the Hávamál
of the Poetic Edda
several centuries later.
The runestone has imagery on four of its sides which apparently are unrelated to the runic text. One side has a building at the top that is over a crescent ship with a sail marked with a cross and with two birds, possibly peacocks, on its yardarms. At the bottom is a man on horseback hunting a stag and using a hunting leopard
, which is not native to Sweden. The next side has an owl, with a head reminding of a lion's, and a goose fighting a snake. One side has a man and a cross band. One suggested interpretation is that the images on the stone are a memorial to Theodoric the Great
, king of the Ostrogoths from 471 to 526 AD, with the building depicted on the stone a representation of his mausoleum
. The other images, such as the crescent ship and the lion fighting the snake, are interpreted as iconography
of the Arian
Christian
faith.
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 located in Västergötland
Västergötland
', English exonym: West Gothland, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....
and is the second most famous Swedish runestone after the Rök Runestone
Rök Runestone
The Rök Runestone is one of the most famous runestones, featuring the longest known runic inscription in stone. It can now be seen by the church in Rök , Östergötland, Sweden...
.
Description
The Sparlösa Runestone was discovered in 1669 in the southern wall of the church of Sparlösa. Before their historical value was understood, many runestones were used as construction material for roads, walls, and bridges. Following a fire at the church in 1684, the runestone was split in rebuilding the wall. It was removed from the wall in 1937 and the two sections merged.The stone is 1.77 metres tall and it is dated to about 800 AD based upon its transitional use of rune forms from both the elder
Elder Futhark
The Elder Futhark is the oldest form of the runic alphabet, used by Germanic tribes for Northwest Germanic and Migration period Germanic dialects of the 2nd to 8th centuries for inscriptions on artifacts such as jewellery, amulets, tools, weapons and runestones...
and younger futhark
Younger 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...
, but it has a probably younger line added to it saying Gisli made this memorial after Gunnar, his brother. The dating is based on the style of the images, such as a ship, which suggest the 8th century, like similar images from Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
. However, a sail on the ship suggests a later dating than the 8th century.
The runestone is famous for its depictions and its tantalizing and mysterious references to a great battle, the names Eric and Alrik, the father who resided in Uppsala
Gamla Uppsala
Gamla Uppsala is a parish and a village outside Uppsala in Sweden. It had 16,231 inhabitants in 1991.As early as the 3rd century AD and the 4th century AD and onwards, it was an important religious, economic and political centre...
and the text descending from the gods. The stone provides an early attestation of the place name Uppsala, and the two personal names Eric ("complete ruler") and Alrik ("everyone's ruler") are both royal names, known to have been worn by the semi-legendary Swedish Yngling
Yngling
The Ynglings were the oldest known Scandinavian dynasty. It can refer to the clans of the Scylfings , the semi-legendary royal Swedish clan during the Age of Migrations, with kings such as Eadgils, Onela and Ohthere...
dynasty at Uppsala. Moreover, the mention of a great battle is suggestive of the equally semi-legendary Swedish-Geatish wars
Swedish-Geatish wars
The Swedish-Geatish wars refer to semi-legendary 6th century battles between Swedes and Geats that are described in the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf...
that are mentioned in Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
.
The words runaR ræginkundu meaning "runes of devine origin" are also in the runic text on the Noleby Runestone
Noleby Runestone
The Noleby Runestone, which is also known as the Fyrunga Runestone or Vg 63 for its Rundata catalog listing, is a runestone in Proto-Norse which is engraved with the Elder Futhark...
and would appear in stanza 79 of the Hávamál
Hávamál
Hávamál is presented as a single poem in the Poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse poems from the Viking age. The poem, itself a combination of different poems, is largely gnomic, presenting advice for living, proper conduct and wisdom....
of 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...
several centuries later.
The runestone has imagery on four of its sides which apparently are unrelated to the runic text. One side has a building at the top that is over a crescent ship with a sail marked with a cross and with two birds, possibly peacocks, on its yardarms. At the bottom is a man on horseback hunting a stag and using a hunting leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
, which is not native to Sweden. The next side has an owl, with a head reminding of a lion's, and a goose fighting a snake. One side has a man and a cross band. One suggested interpretation is that the images on the stone are a memorial to Theodoric the Great
Theodoric the Great
Theodoric the Great was king of the Ostrogoths , ruler of Italy , regent of the Visigoths , and a viceroy of the Eastern Roman Empire...
, king of the Ostrogoths from 471 to 526 AD, with the building depicted on the stone a representation of his mausoleum
Mausoleum of Theodoric
The Mausoleum of Theodoric is an ancient monument just outside Ravenna, Italy. It was built in 520 AD by Theodoric the Great as his future tomb.-Description:...
. The other images, such as the crescent ship and the lion fighting the snake, are interpreted as iconography
Iconography
Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek "image" and "to write". A secondary meaning is the painting of icons in the...
of the Arian
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
faith.
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- A a¤iuls kaf ÷ airikis sunR kaf alrik- -
- B ---t---la kaf rau- at kialt(i) * ...a sa- faþiR ubsal faþiR suaþ a-a-u--ba ...-omas notu auk takaR ÷ aslriku lu--R ukþ-t a(i)u(i)sl
- C ...s---n(u)(R)-a-- þat sikmar aiti makuR airikis makin(i)aru þuno * aft aiuis uk raþ runoR þaR raki-ukutu iu þar suaþ aliriku lu(b)u faþi '
- D ui(u)-am ...--ukrþsar(s)k(s)nuibin- ---kunR(u)k(l)ius-- ...iu
- E : kisli : karþi : iftiR : kunar : bruþur [:] kubl : þisi
Transcription into Old Norse
- A Æivisl gaf, Æiriks sunR, gaf Alrik[R] ...
- B ... gaf
at gialdi [Þ]a(?) sa[t] faðiR Upsal(?), faðiR svað ... ... nætR ok dagaR. AlrikR - C ... þat Sigmarr hæiti maguR Æiriks. Mæginiaru(?) <þuno> aft Æivisl. Ok rað runaR þaR rægi[n]kundu
þar, svað AlrikR faði. - D
... ... ... - E Gisli gærði æftiR Gunnar, broður, kumbl þessi.
Translation in English
- A Eyvísl(?), Eiríkr's son gave, Alríkr gave...
- B ... gave ... as payment. Then(?) the father sat(?) (in) Uppsala(?), the father that ... ... nights and days. Alríkr
feared(?) not Eyvísl(?). - C ... that Eiríkr's boy is called Sigmarr/celebrated-for-victories. Mighty battle(?) ... in memory of Eyvísl(?). And interpret the runes of divine origin there... , that Alríkr
coloured. - D ... ... ...
- E Gísli made this monument in memory of Gunnarr, (his) brother.
External links
- Photographs of the four sides of the Sparlösa Runestone: 1, 2, 3, and 4 - Swedish National Heritage Board
- Run - och bildstenen i Sparlösa - Museum of Foteviken
- Swedish language presentation by Wadbring