Uppland Runic Inscription 993
Encyclopedia
Uppland Runic Inscription 993 or U 993 is the Rundata
catalog number for a Viking Age
memorial runestone located in Brunnby, which is one kilometer west of Gunsta
, Uppsala County
, Sweden
, which was part of the historical province of Uppland
.
. The stone, which is 1.5 meters in height, is classified as being carved in runestone style
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 inscription was carved and signed by runemaster
s named Öpir
and Bjorn. Öpir was active in the Uppland region during the late eleventh or early twelfth centuries and signed almost fifty inscriptions, with another fifty attributed to him based on stylistic analysis. 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 during the period of 1070 to 1100 C.E.
The runic text states that the stone was raised by two sons, Jón and Jôfurfast, as a memorial to their father Vígi, who was the son of a man named Eysteinn. The runic text is missing a possessive pronoun
, the word "their" before "father." Öpir is known to have left off pronouns in some of his other inscricriptions, such as U Fv1976;107 at the Uppsala Cathedral
, U 961
in Vaksala, and U 984 in Ekeby.
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 in Brunnby, which is one kilometer west of Gunsta
Gunsta
Gunsta is a locality situated in Uppsala Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 371 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....
, which was part of the historical 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
This inscription consists of runic text on a serpent that circles and then becomes intertwined in the center of the design under 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...
. The stone, which is 1.5 meters in height, is classified as being carved in runestone style
Runestone styles
The runestone styles varied during the Viking Age. The early runestones were simple in design, but towards the end of the runestone era they became increasingly complex and made by travelling runemasters such as Öpir and Visäte....
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 inscription was carved and signed by 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 named Öpir
Öpir
Öpir or Öper was a runemaster who flourished during the late 11th century and early 12th century in Uppland, Sweden...
and Bjorn. Öpir was active in the Uppland region during the late eleventh or early twelfth centuries and signed almost fifty inscriptions, with another fifty attributed to him based on stylistic analysis. 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 during the period of 1070 to 1100 C.E.
The runic text states that the stone was raised by two sons, Jón and Jôfurfast, as a memorial to their father Vígi, who was the son of a man named Eysteinn. The runic text is missing a possessive pronoun
Possessive pronoun
A possessive pronoun is a part of speech that substitutes for a noun phrase that begins with a possessive determiner . For example, in the sentence These glasses are mine, not yours, the words mine and yours are possessive pronouns and stand for my glasses and your glasses, respectively...
, the word "their" before "father." Öpir is known to have left off pronouns in some of his other inscricriptions, such as 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...
, U 961
Vaksala Runestone
The Vaksala Runestone, designated as U 961 under the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone that is located in Vaksala parish near Uppsala, Sweden.-Description:...
in Vaksala, and U 984 in Ekeby.
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- ion * u(k) iufur[-ast litu r]aisa ' stin uk ' bru ' iftiR ' uiha ' faþur ' su[n] ' istin[s ybiR * rist-] biarn
Transcription into Old Norse
- Ion ok Iofur[f]ast letu ræisa stæin ok bro æftiR Viga, faður, sun Øystæins/Æistæins. ØpiR rist[i]. Biorn.
Translation in English
- Jón and Jôfurfast had the stone raised and the bridge (made) in memory of Vígi, (their) father, Eysteinn's son. Œpir carved. Bjôrn.