Södermanland Runic Inscription 270
Encyclopedia
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 Södermanland
.
rockface and is about 1.65 meters in height. It consists of runic text on a serpent that surrounds a Christian cross
with a bird on top of it. This bird has been interpreted 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. A similar depiction of a bird on a cross is on the runestone fragment Sö 245
in Tungelsta. The head and tail of the serpent on Sö 270 are shown bound as if to prevent it from leaving the surface of the stone. The inscription is classified as being carved in either runestone style Pr3 or Pr4, which is also known as 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.
The runic text is in the younger futhark
and states that the inscription is a memorial by a father named either Farbjôrn or Freybjôrn for his son Háulfr. If the father's name is Freybjôrn, it would contain the Norse pagan
god Freyr
as a theophoric name element and mean "Freyr Bear." The text also states that the inscription was carved by a runemaster
named Halfdan, which is normalized
as Halvdan
. Although over fifteen other runestones in Södermanland have been attributed for stylistic reasons to this runemaster, this is the only surviving inscription that was signed by him. The other inscriptions listed in Rundata that 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, 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. For this inscription, Halvdan used a punctuation mark usually consisting of two dots between each word in the runic text.
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,...
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....
runic inscription that is located in Tyresta, which is about two kilometers east of Brandbergen
Brandbergen
Brandbergen, is a suburb in Haninge Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. It is located 20 km south of Stockholm, and is a residential area built in late 1960s to early 1970s, consisting of more than 6 000 flats, most of them are rental flats, some of them are society-owned...
, 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 is within the Tyresta National Park
Tyresta National Park
Tyresta National Park is a national park with a surrounding nature reserve in Sweden, located in Haninge and Tyresö municipalities in Stockholm County....
and 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 runic inscription is carved into a gneissGneiss
Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...
rockface and is about 1.65 meters in height. It consists of runic text on a serpent that surrounds a Christian cross
Christian 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...
with a bird on top of it. This bird has been interpreted 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. A similar depiction of a bird on a cross is on the runestone fragment 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 head and tail of the serpent on Sö 270 are shown bound as if to prevent it from leaving the surface of the stone. The inscription is classified as being carved in either runestone style Pr3 or Pr4, which is also known as 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.
The runic text is in the 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...
and states that the inscription is a memorial by a father named either Farbjôrn or Freybjôrn for his son Háulfr. If the father's name is Freybjôrn, it would contain 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 Freyr
Freyr
Freyr is one of the most important gods of Norse paganism. Freyr was highly associated with farming, weather and, as a phallic fertility god, Freyr "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals"...
as a theophoric name element and mean "Freyr Bear." The text also states that the inscription was carved by 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 is 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...
. Although over fifteen other runestones in Södermanland have been attributed for stylistic reasons to this runemaster, this is the only surviving inscription that was signed by him. The other inscriptions listed in Rundata that 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, 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
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. For this inscription, Halvdan used a punctuation mark usually consisting of two dots between each word in the runic text.
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- far(e)biarn : lit : hagua : stain : et : haulf : sun * si- : hal(t)an : hiak : runa
Transcription into Old Norse
- Farbjôrn/Freybjôrn lét hôggva stein at Háulf, son si[nn]. Halfdan hjó rúnar.
Translation in English
- Farbjôrn/Freybjôrn had the stone cut in memory of Háulfr, his son. Halfdan cut the runes.
External links
- Photograph - Swedish National Heritage Board