Södermanland Runic Inscription 245
Encyclopedia
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
.
. The depiction of the bird on the cross is very similar to that depicted on inscription Sö 270
in Tyresta, which has been interpretted as being a cock
. Placed on a cross, the cock would be interpreted as a Christian symbol
meaning rebirth and vigilance, similar to weathercocks
that are on top of churches today. Based upon the similarity to Sö 270, Sö 245 is attributed to a runemaster
named Halfdan, which has been normalized
as Halvdan
, who placed his signature on Sö 270. Several other inscriptions are attributed to Halvdan based upon stylistic analysis include Sö 235
in Västerby, Sö 237 in Fors, Sö 239
in Häringe, Sö 244 in Tuna, 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 current location of Sö 245 is not considered to be the original location of the runestone. When Sö 245 was surveyed in 1910 it was suggested that other fragments of the runestone might be located in the walls of barns in local farms or in a nearby pile of rocks, but to date no other fragments of the Sö 245 runestone have been clearly identified.
Although there are runes visible within the runic band on the Sö 245 fragment that have been transliterated
, an interpretation of the damaged text into Old Norse
is not considered possible. Halvdan often used a punctuation mark consisting of two dots between each word in the runic text and three such marks are present in the fragmentary text of Sö 245.
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 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,...
runestone fragment that is located in Tungelsta, which is about two kilometers west of Västerhaninge
Västerhaninge
Västerhaninge is a locality situated in Haninge Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. It had 14,060 inhabitants in 2005. It is connected to Stockholm by commuter rail....
, 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....
, which was 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
The inscription on the fragment Sö 245, which is about 0.6 meters in height in the upright position, consists of runic text within a band and a depiction of a bird standing on what appears to be a crossChristian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
. The depiction of the bird on the cross is very similar to that depicted on 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, which has been interpretted as being a cock
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
. Placed on a cross, the cock would be interpreted as a Christian symbol
Christian symbolism
Christian symbolism invests objects or actions with an inner meaning expressing Christian ideas. Christianity has borrowed from the common stock of significant symbols known to most periods and to all regions of the world. Religious symbolism is effective when it appeals to both the intellect and...
meaning rebirth and vigilance, similar to weathercocks
Weather vane
A weather vane is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. They are typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building....
that are on top of churches today. Based upon the similarity to Sö 270, Sö 245 is 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...
named Halfdan, which has been 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 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 placed his signature on Sö 270. Several other inscriptions are attributed to Halvdan based upon stylistic analysis include Sö 235
Södermanland Runic Inscription 235
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.-Description:This inscription, which is...
in Västerby, Sö 237 in Fors, 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, Sö 244 in Tuna, 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 current location of Sö 245 is not considered to be the original location of the runestone. When Sö 245 was surveyed in 1910 it was suggested that other fragments of the runestone might be located in the walls of barns in local farms or in a nearby pile of rocks, but to date no other fragments of the Sö 245 runestone have been clearly identified.
Although there are runes visible within the runic band on the Sö 245 fragment that have been transliterated
Runic transliteration and transcription
Runic transliteration and transcription are part of analysing a runic inscription which involves transliteration of the runes into Latin letters, transcription into a normalized spelling in the language of the inscription, and translation of the inscription into a modern language...
, an interpretation of the damaged text into 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....
is not considered possible. Halvdan often used a punctuation mark consisting of two dots between each word in the runic text and three such marks are present in the fragmentary text of Sö 245.