Uppland Runic Inscription 181
Encyclopedia
Uppland Runic Inscription 181 or U 181 is the Rundata
catalog number for a Viking Age
memorial runestone located at Össeby-Garn, which is about one kilometer east of Karby
, Uppsala County
, Sweden
.
that is carved on a serpent that circles a central area where it becomes intertwined with itself, with a Christian cross
in the upper part of the encircled area. The inscription is classified as being carved in runestone style Pr5, which is considered to be 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 text indicates that the inscription was carved by the runemaster
Öpir
, who was active during the late 11th century and early 12th century in Uppland
, Sweden. His name ubiR is on the serpent on the lower right of this inscription. Öpir is known for his Urnes style inscriptions and signed almost fifty surviving inscriptions, with many more unsigned inscriptions attributed to him. Runic inscriptions are often dated based upon comparative linguistic
and stylistic analysis, and the inscription on U 181 has been dated as being carved approximately after 1100 C.E.
The runic text indicates that the stone was raised by several brothers and possibly daughters as a memorial to their father named Eistr. In carving the text, Öpir left off the final "R" in runaR, or "runes," which he also did on inscriptions such as that on U Fv1976;107 at the Uppsala Cathedral
. Öpir also used a dot as a punctuation mark between each word of the text of this inscription.
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 runestone located at Össeby-Garn, which is about one kilometer east of Karby
Karby, Sweden
Karby is a locality situated in Vallentuna Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 844 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....
.
Description
This inscription on a granite stone, which is 1.85 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 a serpent that circles a central area where it becomes intertwined with itself, with 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...
in the upper part of the encircled area. The inscription is classified as being carved in runestone style Pr5, which is considered to be 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 text indicates that the inscription was carved by the 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...
Öpir
Öpir
Öpir or Öper was a runemaster who flourished during the late 11th century and early 12th century in Uppland, Sweden...
, who was active during the late 11th century and early 12th century in 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...
, Sweden. His name ubiR is on the serpent on the lower right of this inscription. Öpir is known for his Urnes style inscriptions and signed almost fifty surviving inscriptions, with many more unsigned inscriptions attributed to him. Runic inscriptions are often dated based upon comparative linguistic
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
and stylistic analysis, and the inscription on U 181 has been dated as being carved approximately after 1100 C.E.
The runic text indicates that the stone was raised by several brothers and possibly daughters as a memorial to their father named Eistr. In carving the text, Öpir left off the final "R" in runaR, or "runes," which he also did on inscriptions such as that on U Fv1976;107 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...
. Öpir also used a dot as a punctuation mark between each word of the text of this inscription.
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- askutr ' uk ' suain ' ikifastr ' uk ' ikibiarn ' uk ' tutr ' ... ...ain ' iftiR ' est ' faþur ' sin ' in ' ubiR ' risti ' run
Transcription into Old Norse
- Asgautr ok Svæinn, Ingifastr ok Ingibiorn ok døtr(?)/Dyntr(?) ... [st]æin æftiR Æist, faður sinn. En ØpiR risti runaR.
Translation in English
- Ásgautr and Sveinn (and) Ingifastr and Ingibjôrn and the daughters(?)/Dyntr(?) ... the stone in memory of Eistr, their father. And Œpir carved the runes.