Uppland Runic Inscription 1144
Encyclopedia
This runic inscription, designated as U 1144 in the Rundata
catalog, is on a Viking Age
memorial
runestone that is located in Tierp
, Uppsala County
, Sweden
, which was in the historic province of Uppland
.
surrounded by stylized serpents and two lambs. It has been suggested that the runestone's iconography
of an adoring lamb on each side of the cross may have been based on similar images seen during pilgramages to Rome
or the Holy Land
. The stone is composed of granite and is 1.8 meters in height with the upper right portion missing. The inscription 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. 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 on runestone U 1144 states that the stone is a memorial raised by five brothers in memory of their father Geiri, and, consistent with the iconography, includes a prayer for his soul. The inscription is signed by two runemaster
s with the normalized
names of Hæriarr and Åsmund Kåresson
. Åsmund was an runemaster active in the Uppland region in the first half of the eleventh century and signed about twenty runic inscriptions, with another thirty stones attributed to him. Other surviving runestones that are signed by Åsmund include U 301 in Skånela, the now-lost U 346 in Frösunda, U 356 in Ängby, the now-lost U 368 in Helgåby, U 824 in Holm, U 847 in Västeråker, U 859 in Måsta, U 871 in Ölsta, U 884 in Ingla, U 932 at Uppsala Cathedral
, U 956 in Vedyxa, U 969 in Bolsta, the now-lost U 986 in Kungsgården, U 998 in Skällerö, U 1142 in Åbyggeby, U 1149 in Fleräng, U Fv1986;84
in Bo gård, U Fv1988;241 in Rosersberg, Gs 11 in Järvsta, Gs 12 in Lund, and Gs 13 in Söderby. The signature of Hæriarr, however, is not on any other surviving runestone. When writing runic text, it was common to only carve a single rune for two consecutive letters, even when the letters were at the end of one word and the beginning of a second word. When the text shown as Latin characters, the transliterated
runes are doubled and separate words are shown. In the runemaster's signature, osmuntritsi, an additional r-rune
is added in the transliteration to form the words osmuntr| |ritsi ("Ásmundr carved"). Åsmund signed his name in this same manner on two other inscriptions, U 824 and U 1142.
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 on 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 that is located in Tierp
Tierp
Tierp is a locality and the seat of Tierp Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 5,377 inhabitants in 2005. There is a saying that in Tierp the birds fly upside down.-Communications:...
, Uppsala County
Uppsala County
Uppsala County is a county or län on the eastern coast of Sweden. It borders the counties of Stockholm, Södermanland, Västmanland, Gävleborg, and the Baltic Sea.- Province :For History, Geography and Culture see: Uppland...
, 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 Uppland
Uppland
Uppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea...
.
Description
The runic inscription consists of runic text within bands that are around an unusual image of a Christian 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...
surrounded by stylized serpents and two lambs. It has been suggested that the runestone's 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 an adoring lamb on each side of the cross may have been based on similar images seen during pilgramages to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
or the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
. The stone is composed of granite and is 1.8 meters in height with the upper right portion missing. The inscription is classified as being carved in runestone style Pr3, 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 on runestone U 1144 states that the stone is a memorial raised by five brothers in memory of their father Geiri, and, consistent with the iconography, includes a prayer for his soul. The inscription is signed by two 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...
s 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...
names of Hæriarr and Åsmund Kåresson
Åsmund Kåresson
Åsmund Kåresson was a Viking Age runemaster who flourished during the first half of the 11th century in Uppland and Gästrikland, Sweden. The early Urnes style is represented in his art.-Work:...
. Åsmund was an runemaster active in the Uppland region in the first half of the eleventh century and signed about twenty runic inscriptions, with another thirty stones attributed to him. Other surviving runestones that are signed by Åsmund include U 301 in Skånela, the now-lost U 346 in Frösunda, U 356 in Ängby, the now-lost U 368 in Helgåby, U 824 in Holm, U 847 in Västeråker, U 859 in Måsta, U 871 in Ölsta, U 884 in Ingla, U 932 at 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...
, U 956 in Vedyxa, U 969 in Bolsta, the now-lost U 986 in Kungsgården, U 998 in Skällerö, U 1142 in Åbyggeby, U 1149 in Fleräng, U Fv1986;84
Uppland Runic Inscription Fv1986 84
Runic inscription U Fv1986;84 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial that is located at Bo gård on the island of Lidingö in Uppland, Sweden.-Description:...
in Bo gård, U Fv1988;241 in Rosersberg, Gs 11 in Järvsta, Gs 12 in Lund, and Gs 13 in Söderby. The signature of Hæriarr, however, is not on any other surviving runestone. When writing runic text, it was common to only carve a single rune for two consecutive letters, even when the letters were at the end of one word and the beginning of a second word. When the text shown as Latin characters, the 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...
runes are doubled and separate words are shown. In the runemaster's signature, osmuntritsi, an additional r-rune
Raidô
Kate Thornton is an English journalist and television presenter. Early in her career, she was notable for her articles at the Daily Mirror and for her role as editor of Smash Hits magazine...
is added in the transliteration to form the words osmuntr| |ritsi ("Ásmundr carved"). Åsmund signed his name in this same manner on two other inscriptions, U 824 and U 1142.
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- ' kaiRfast(r) [auk hunifraR auk hrafn] ' auk ' fulkbiurn ' auk þuriR ' litu rita stino ' aftiR ' kaiR[a] f[a]þur sin ' kuþ hialbi (a)n- h(o)ns ' osmuntr| |risti ' uk hiriaR '
Transcription into Old Norse
- Geirfastr ok Hónefr ok Hrafn ok Folkbjôrn ok Þórir létu rétta steina eptir Geira, fôður sinn. Guð hjalpi ôn[d] hans. Ásmundr risti ok Herjarr(?).
Translation in English
- Geirfastr and Hónefr and Hrafn and Folkbjôrn and Þórir had the stones erected in memory of Geiri, their father. May God help his spirit. Ásmundr carved and Herjarr(?).