Uppland Runic Inscription 1158
Encyclopedia
Uppland Runic Inscription 1158 or U 1158 is the Rundata
catalog listing for a Viking Age
memorial
runestone that is located at Stora Salfors, which is one kilometer east of Fjärdhundra
, Uppsala County
, Sweden
, and is in the historic province of Uppland
. The stone is a memorial to a man named Freygeirr
, and may have been the same Freygeirr who was a Viking chieftain active on the Baltic coast in the 1050s.
that is carved on three intertwined serpents. The top section of the runestone is missing. The inscription is classified as being carved in runestone style Pr3 or Pr4, both of which are 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 stone was noted in 1865 as being originally located in a circle of stones north of a crossroads, but was moved in 1884 to its current location at a farm at the request of a school teacher. The inscription is signed by a runemaster
with the normalized
name of Livsten. Livsten signed several other inscriptions, including U 766 and U 767 in Norrby, U 796 in Sparrsätra, U 1152 in Brunnby, U 1161
in Altuna, U 1164 in Stora Runhällen, and Vs 29 in Sala Landsförsamling.
The runic text, which is incomplete due to the missing top section of the stone, states that the runestone was raised by some brothers, three of whom were named Guðsteinn, Eistr, and Áki, in memory of their father Freygeirr. According to scholar Omeljan Pritsak
, this is the same Freygeirr who led a leidang
expedition on the Baltic coast. Five other runestones refer to this Freygeirr, including Gs 13 in Söderby, DR 216 in Tirsted, U 518 in Västa Ledinge, U 611 in Tibble, and U 698 in Veckholms. It has been noted that one of Freygeir's son was named Eistr meaning "man from Estonia" or "Estonian," which Pritsak connects to Freygeir's activities on the other side of the Baltic Sea.
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 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 that is located at Stora Salfors, which is one kilometer east of Fjärdhundra
Fjärdhundra
Fjärdhundra is a locality situated in Enköping Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 926 inhabitants in 2005....
, 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....
, and is 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...
. The stone is a memorial to a man named Freygeirr
Freygeirr
Freygeirr was a Viking chieftain who probably led a leidang expedition. He is considered to have been active in the 1050s on the Baltic coast, and he has been identified on six runestones, Gs 13, DR 216, U 518, U 611, U 698 and U 1158.On the runestone Gs 13, Freygeirr is reported to be the leader...
, and may have been the same Freygeirr who was a Viking chieftain active on the Baltic coast in the 1050s.
Description
The inscription on U 1158, which is on a granite stone that is 1.86 meters in height, 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...
that is carved on three intertwined serpents. The top section of the runestone is missing. The inscription is classified as being carved in runestone style Pr3 or Pr4, both of which are 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 stone was noted in 1865 as being originally located in a circle of stones north of a crossroads, but was moved in 1884 to its current location at a farm at the request of a school teacher. The inscription is signed 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...
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 Livsten. Livsten signed several other inscriptions, including U 766 and U 767 in Norrby, U 796 in Sparrsätra, U 1152 in Brunnby, U 1161
Altuna Runestone
The Altuna Runestone , listed as U 1161 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone with images from Norse mythology that is located in Altuna, Uppland, Sweden.- Description :...
in Altuna, U 1164 in Stora Runhällen, and Vs 29 in Sala Landsförsamling.
The runic text, which is incomplete due to the missing top section of the stone, states that the runestone was raised by some brothers, three of whom were named Guðsteinn, Eistr, and Áki, in memory of their father Freygeirr. According to scholar Omeljan Pritsak
Omeljan Pritsak
Omeljan Pritsak was the first Mykhailo Hrushevsky Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard University and the founder and first director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute.-Career:Pritsak began his academic career at the University of Lvov in interwar Poland where he...
, this is the same Freygeirr who led a leidang
Leidang
The institution known as leiðangr , leidang , leding, , ledung , expeditio or sometimes lething , was a public levy of free farmers typical for medieval Scandinavians. It was a form of conscription to organise coastal fleets for seasonal excursions and in defence of the realm...
expedition on the Baltic coast. Five other runestones refer to this Freygeirr, including Gs 13 in Söderby, DR 216 in Tirsted, U 518 in Västa Ledinge, U 611 in Tibble, and U 698 in Veckholms. It has been noted that one of Freygeir's son was named Eistr meaning "man from Estonia" or "Estonian," which Pritsak connects to Freygeir's activities on the other side of the Baltic Sea.
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- : kuisþen : yg : estr : yg : uin... : yk : aki : litu : risa : stn : fryke : faþur se : lfsten : iuk : runi : þsa :
Transcription into Old Norse
- Guðstæinn(?) ok Æistr ok ... ok Aki letu ræisa stæin [æftiR] FrøygæiR, faður sinn. Lifstæinn hiogg runaR þessa.
Translation in English
- Guðsteinn(?) and Eistr and ... and Áki had the stone raised in memory of Freygeirr, their father. Lífsteinn cut these runes.