Uppland Runic Inscription Fv1976;104
Encyclopedia
This runic inscription, designated as U Fv1976;104 in the Rundata
catalog, is on a Viking Age
memorial runestone that is located at the Uppsala Cathedral
, Uppland
, Sweden
.
. The red granite runestone, which is 1.65 meters in height and 1.64 meters wide, was discovered in May 1975 during excavation work at the Hornska chapel at the Uppsala Cathedral. Before the historical nature of runestones was understood, they were often reused as materials in the construction of roads, bridges, and buildings. The runestone is classified as being carved in runestone style Pr2, which is also known as Ringerike style
. This is the classification for inscriptions where the runic bands end in serpent or beast heads seen in profile, but the serpents or beasts are not as elongated and stylized as in the Urnes style
.
The runic text states that three sons raised the stone in memory of their father, Vígmarr, who is described as being styrimann goðan or "a good captain." A styrimann is a title often translated as "captain" and describes a person who was responsible for navigation and watchkeeping on a ship. This term is also used in inscriptions on Sö 161 in Råby, U 1011 in Örby, U 1016 in Fjuckby
, and DR 1
in Hedeby
. Part of the stone has been damaged with a word missing from the middle of the runic text, but based upon other inscriptions the missing word is likely to be the infinitive verb haggva, or "cut." The text is signed by a runemaster
named Likbjörn. There are two other inscriptions known to have been signed by Likbjörn, the now-lost U 1074 in Bälinge and U 1095 in Rörby, although others have been attributed to him based on stylistic analysis.
The Rundata designation for this Uppland inscription, U Fv1976;104, refers to the year and page number of the issue of Fornvännen
in which the runestone was first described.
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 runestone that is located 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...
, 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
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 consists of runic text carved on an intertwined serpent under a small 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 red granite runestone, which is 1.65 meters in height and 1.64 meters wide, was discovered in May 1975 during excavation work at the Hornska chapel at the Uppsala Cathedral. Before the historical nature of runestones was understood, they were often reused as materials in the construction of roads, bridges, and buildings. The runestone is classified as being carved in runestone style Pr2, which is also known as Ringerike style
Ringerike style
The Ringerike style is a Scandinavian animal style from the late 10th century and the 11th century, which evolved out of the earlier Mammen style. It has received its name from a group of runestones with animal and plant motifs in the Ringerike district north of Oslo. The most common motifs are...
. This is the classification for inscriptions where the runic bands end in serpent or beast heads seen in profile, but the serpents or beasts are not as elongated and stylized as in the 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...
.
The runic text states that three sons raised the stone in memory of their father, Vígmarr, who is described as being styrimann goðan or "a good captain." A styrimann is a title often translated as "captain" and describes a person who was responsible for navigation and watchkeeping on a ship. This term is also used in inscriptions on Sö 161 in Råby, U 1011 in Örby, U 1016 in Fjuckby
Fjuckby
Fjuckby is a village in Uppsala Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden, located about 15 km north of the central city Uppsala along European route E4. The village has a population of 65 people within an area of 18 hectares...
, and DR 1
Stone of Eric
The Stone of Eric, listed as DR 1 in the Rundata catalog, is a memorial runestone that was found in northern Germany. This area was part of Denmark during the Viking Age.-Description:...
in Hedeby
Hedeby
Hedeby |heath]]land, and býr = yard, thus "heath yard"), mentioned by Alfred the Great as aet Haethe , in German Haddeby and Haithabu, a modern spelling of the runic Heiðabý was an important trading settlement in the Danish-northern German borderland during the Viking Age...
. Part of the stone has been damaged with a word missing from the middle of the runic text, but based upon other inscriptions the missing word is likely to be the infinitive verb haggva, or "cut." The text 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...
named Likbjörn. There are two other inscriptions known to have been signed by Likbjörn, the now-lost U 1074 in Bälinge and U 1095 in Rörby, although others have been attributed to him based on stylistic analysis.
The Rundata designation for this Uppland inscription, U Fv1976;104, refers to the year and page number of the issue of Fornvännen
Fornvännen
Fornvännen is a Swedish academic journal in the fields of archaeology and Medieval art. It is published quarterly by the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters in Stockholm, Sweden. The journal's contributions are written in the Scandinavian languages, English, or German with summaries in English...
in which the runestone was first described.
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- rikr * ok * hulti * fastkair * þaiR * litu * ...a stain * at * uikmar * faþur * sin * styriman * koþan : likbiarn * risti
Transcription into Old Norse
- RikR/RinkR/RingR ok Hulti [ok] FastgæiRR þæiR letu ... stæin at Vigmar, faður sinn, styrimann goðan. Likbiorn risti.
Translation in English
- Ríkr/Rekkr/Hringr and Holti and Fastgeirr, they had ... the stone in memory of Vígmarr, their father, a good captain. Líkbjôrn carved.