Södermanland Runic Inscription 235
Encyclopedia
Södermanland Runic Inscription 235 or Sö 235 is the Rundata
listing for a Viking Age
memorial
runestone fragment that is located in Västerby, which is six kilometers southwest of Väländan
, Stockholm County
, Sweden
, and in the historic province of Södermanland
.
carved on a serpent that once encircled two animals. The animals, which because of the missing section cannot be clearly identified, appear to have hoofs and may be deer, elk, or horses. Several Scandinavia
n runestones include depictions of horses, including DR 96 in Ålum, N 61 in Alstad, Sö 101 in Ramsundsberget, Sö 226
in Norra Stutby, Sö 327 in Göksten, Sö 239
in Häringe, U 375 in Vidbo, U 488
in Harg, U 599 in Hanunda, U 691 in Söderby, U 855
in Böksta, U 901 in Håmö, U 935 at the Uppsala Cathedral
, and U 1003 in Frötuna. The inscription, which is 1 meter in height, is classified as being carved in runestone style Pr3, which is also known as Urnes style. This runestone style is characterized by slim and stylized animals that are interwoven into tight patterns, with the animal heads typically seen in profile with slender almond-shaped eyes and upwardly curled appendages on the noses and the necks. Based on stylistic analysis, Sö 235 has been attributed to a runemaster
with the normalized
name of Halvdan
, who was active in the mid-11th century in Södermanland and signed the inscription Sö 270
in Tyresta. Over fifteen other runestones have been attributed to him, including Sö 237 in Fors, Sö 239 in Häringe, Sö 244 in Tuna, Sö 245
in Tungelsta, the now-lost Sö 247 in Ålsta, Sö 252 in Säby, Sö 256 in Älby, Sö 262 in Blista, Sö 269 in Söderby Malm, Sö 272 in Upp-Norrby, Sö 274 in Södersluss, Sö 290 in Farsta, Sö 292
in Bröta, Sö 297 in Uppinge, Sö 298
in Uringe Malm, and Sö 301 in Ågesta Bro.
The remaining runic text on this fragment, which appears to follow the memorial formula typical on runestones of this period, was recorded on a drawing published in 1855. Since then, additional portions of the stone have been lost. The reconstructed text from the damaged stone states that the sponsor of the runestone was a man named Guðbjôrn and at least one other brother who raised the stone in memory of their father Vidiarf. Similar to his other inscriptions, Halvdan used a word divider punctuation mark between each word of the surviving text. One word of the text, * þin * or þenna, is carved inside the serpent near the hind legs of one of the animals.
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...
listing for 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 fragment that is located in Västerby, which is six kilometers southwest of Väländan
Väländan
Väländan is a locality situated in Haninge Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 451 inhabitants in 2005....
, Stockholm County
Stockholm County
Stockholm County is a county or län on the Baltic sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Stockholm County is divided by the historic provinces of Uppland and Södermanland...
, 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 in the historic province of 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...
.
Description
This inscription, which is missing its upper section, 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...
carved on a serpent that once encircled two animals. The animals, which because of the missing section cannot be clearly identified, appear to have hoofs and may be deer, elk, or horses. Several 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 runestones include depictions of horses, including DR 96 in Ålum, N 61 in Alstad, Sö 101 in Ramsundsberget, Sö 226
Södermanland Runic Inscription 226
Södermanland Runic Inscription 226 or Sö 226 is the Rundata catalog listing for a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Norra Stutby, which is about eight kilometers north of Sorunda, Stockholm County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Södermanland.-Description:The inscription on Sö...
in Norra Stutby, Sö 327 in Göksten, Sö 239
Södermanland Runic Inscription 239
Södermanland Runic Inscription 239 or Sö 239 is the Rundata catalog listing for a Viking Age memorial runestone fragment that is located in Häringe, which is about one kilometer east of Landfjärden, Stockholm County, Sweden, which is in the historic province of Södermanland.-Description:The damaged...
in Häringe, U 375 in Vidbo, U 488
Uppland Runic Inscription 448
This runic inscription, designated as U 448 in the Rundata catalog, is on a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Harg, which is about 4 kilometers north of Märsta, Stockholm County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Uppland.-Description:...
in Harg, U 599 in Hanunda, U 691 in Söderby, U 855
Böksta Runestone
The Böksta runestone is a Viking Age memorial runestone that is located near the farm of Böksta in Balingsta, which is about four kilometers southwest of Ramstalund, Uppsala County, Sweden, in the historic province of Upsalla.-Description:...
in Böksta, U 901 in Håmö, U 935 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...
, and U 1003 in Frötuna. The inscription, which is 1 meter in height, is classified as being carved in runestone style Pr3, which is also known as Urnes style. This runestone style is characterized by slim and stylized animals that are interwoven into tight patterns, with the animal heads typically seen in profile with slender almond-shaped eyes and upwardly curled appendages on the noses and the necks. Based on stylistic analysis, Sö 235 has been attributed 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...
with the 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...
name of Halvdan
Halvdan (runemaster)
Halvdan, normalized from Old Norse Halfdan, was a runemaster in mid-11th century Södermanland, Sweden.-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...
, who was active in the mid-11th century in Södermanland and signed the inscription Sö 270
Södermanland Runic Inscription 270
Södermanland Runic Inscription 270 or Sö 270 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runic inscription that is located in Tyresta, which is about two kilometers east of Brandbergen, Stockholm County, Sweden, and is within the Tyresta National Park and the historic province of...
in Tyresta. Over fifteen other runestones have been attributed to him, including Sö 237 in Fors, Sö 239 in Häringe, Sö 244 in Tuna, Sö 245
Södermanland Runic Inscription 245
Södermanland Runic Inscription 245 or Sö 245 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age runestone fragment that is located in Tungelsta, which is about two kilometers west of Västerhaninge, Stockholm County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Södermanland.-Description:The inscription...
in Tungelsta, the now-lost Sö 247 in Ålsta, Sö 252 in Säby, Sö 256 in Älby, Sö 262 in Blista, Sö 269 in Söderby Malm, Sö 272 in Upp-Norrby, Sö 274 in Södersluss, Sö 290 in Farsta, Sö 292
Södermanland Runic Inscription 292
Sö 292 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Bröta, which is about six kilometers southwest of Väländan, Stockholm County, Sweden, in the historic province of Södermanland.-Description:...
in Bröta, Sö 297 in Uppinge, Sö 298
Södermanland Runic Inscription 298
Sö 298 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Uringe Malm, which is about four kilometers west of Väländan, Stockholm County, Sweden, in the historic province of Södermanland.-Description:...
in Uringe Malm, and Sö 301 in Ågesta Bro.
The remaining runic text on this fragment, which appears to follow the memorial formula typical on runestones of this period, was recorded on a drawing published in 1855. Since then, additional portions of the stone have been lost. The reconstructed text from the damaged stone states that the sponsor of the runestone was a man named Guðbjôrn and at least one other brother who raised the stone in memory of their father Vidiarf. Similar to his other inscriptions, Halvdan used a word divider punctuation mark between each word of the surviving text. One word of the text, * þin * or þenna, is carved inside the serpent near the hind legs of one of the animals.
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- : kuþbiurn : auk : o...[n : litu : ... sta]in :* þin * at : uitirf : faþur : sin *
Transcription into Old Norse
- Guðbiorn ok ... letu [ræisa] stæin þenna at Vidiarf, faður sinn.
Translation in English
- Guðbjôrn and ... had this stone raised in memory of Védjarfr, their father.