Varangian Runestones - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Varangian Runestones are runestones that mention voyages to the East (Austr) or the Eastern route (Austrvegr), or to more specific eastern locations such as Garðaríki

Garðaríki

Garðaríki or Garðaveldi is the Old Norse term used in medieval times for the states of Kievan Rus'...

(what is today Russia and Ukraine).

There are also many additional runestones that talk of eastward voyages such as the Greece Runestones

Greece Runestones

The Greece runestones are about 30 runestones containing information related to voyages made by Norsemen to the Eastern Roman Empire. They were made during the Viking Age until about 1100 and were engraved in the Old Norse language with Scandinavian runes...

, Italy Runestones

Italy Runestones

The Italy Runestones are three or four Varangian Runestones from 11th century Sweden that talk of warriors who died in Langbarðaland , the Old Norse name for Italy...

, and inscriptions left by the Varangian Guard

Varangian Guard

The Varangian Guard was an elite unit of the Byzantine Army in 10th to the 14th centuries, whose members served as personal bodyguards of the Byzantine Emperors....

. Other runestones that deal with Varangian expeditions include the Serkland Runestones (dealing with expeditions to the Middle East) and the Ingvar Runestones

Ingvar Runestones

The Ingvar Runestones is the name of c. 26 Varangian Runestones that were raised in commemoration of those who died in the Swedish Viking expedition to the Caspian Sea of Ingvar the Far-Travelled....

(erected in honor or memory of those who travelled to the Caspian Sea

Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...

with Ingvar the Far-Travelled

Ingvar the Far-Travelled

Ingvar the Far-Travelled was the leader of an unsuccessful Viking attack against Persia, in 1036–1042.There were several Caspian expeditions of the Rus' in the course of the 10th century...

). There is also a separate article for the Baltic expeditions runestones

Baltic expeditions runestones

The Baltic area runestones are Varangian runestones in memory of men who took part in peaceful or warlike expeditions across the Baltic Sea, where Finland and the Baltic States are presently located....

. In addition, there were also voyages to Western Europe mentioned on runestones that are treated in the articles Viking Runestones

Viking Runestones

The Viking Runestones are runestones that mention Scandinavians who participated in Viking expeditions. This article treats the runestone that refer to people who took part in voyages abroad, in western Europe, and stones that mention men who were Viking warriors and/or died while travelling in the...

, England Runestones

England Runestones

The England runestones is a group of about 30 runestones that refer to Viking Age voyages to England. They constitute one of the largest groups of runestones that mention voyages to other countries, and they are comparable in number only to the approximately 30 Greece Runestones and the 26 Ingvar...

and Hakon Jarl Runestones

Hakon Jarl Runestones

The Hakon Jarl Runestones are Swedish runestones from the time of Canute the Great.Two of the runestones, one in Uppland and one in Småland mention a Hakon Jarl, and both runologists and historians have debated whether they are one and the same, or two different men. Moreover, all known Hakon...

.

Most of the runestones were raised during the Christianization

Christianization of Scandinavia

The Christianization of Scandinavia took place between the 8th and the 12th century. The realms of Scandinavia proper, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, established their own Archdioceses, responsible directly to the Pope, in 1104, 1154 and 1164, respectively...

of the eleventh century when the making of runestones was fashionable, but notably the Kälvesten Runestone Ög 8 was made in the ninth century when the Varangians played a central role in what would become Russia and Ukraine. This vast area was a rich source of pelts, hides and people, and it was an important component in the contemporary Swedish economy. Its Old Norse name meant "land of fortresses" and was derived from the chains of fortresses that had been constructed along the trade routes.

All of the stones were engraved in Old Norse

Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

with the Younger Futhark

Younger 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...

and the message of many of the inscriptions can be summarized with a poem in the fornyrðislag style found on the Turinge Runestone Sö 338:

Brøðr vaRu

þæiR bæstra manna,

a landi

ok i liði uti,

heldu sina huskarla ve[l].

Hann fioll i orrustu

austr i Garðum,

liðs forungi,

landmanna bæstr.

These brothers were

the best of men

in the land

and abroad in the retinue,

held their housecarl

Housecarl

In medieval Scandinavia, housecarls and sometimes spelled huscarle or houscarl) were either non-servile manservants, or household troops in personal service of someone, equivalent to a bodyguard to Scandinavian lords and kings. This institution also existed in Anglo-Saxon England after its...

s well.

He fell in battle

in the east in Garðar (Russia),

commander of the retinue,

the best of landholders.

Below follows a presentation of the runestones based on the Rundata

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...

project. The transcriptions into Old Norse

Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

are mostly in the Swedish and Danish dialect to facilitate comparison with the inscriptions, while the English translation provided by Rundata

Rundata

gives the names in the de facto standard dialect (the Icelandic and Norwegian dialect):

U 153

This runestone in style Pr3 and it is one of the runestones in Hagby

Hagby Runestones

The Hagby Runestones are four runestones that are raised on the courtyard of the farm Hagby in Uppland, Sweden. They are inscribed in Old Norse using the Younger Futhark and they date to the 11th century...

. It was discovered in 1930 in the basement under the main building of the old estate Lissby which had been demolished in the late 19th century. It had been inserted in the basement wall with the engraved side visible together with the runestones U 152 and U 154. When the basement collapsed, the runestone was splintered into a great number of minor and major pieces of which the top part was the largest one. A fragment of the stone was discovered in the field on the property of Lissby. All in all, no less than 70 pieces were reassembled, and in 1931, the repaired stone was raised in the garden of Hagby. The stone is in granite and it is 2.60 m tall and 1.5 m wide. The inscription is partially damaged and especially in its beginning and end. It refers to several stones and one of them was probably the runestone U 155.

The last runes may be reconstructed as either [i karþ]um (in Kievan Rus'

Kievan Rus'

Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....

) or [i krik]um (in the Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...

).

Latin transliteration:

...[(u)](a)i- × [(a)]uk × ulf- litu × raisa × stai-(a) × e(f)tiR × hlftan * auk * eftiR × kunar × bryþr × sina × þaiR * antaþus × aust... ...(u)m

Old Norse transcription:

[S]væi[nn] ok Ulf[R] letu ræisa stæi[n]a æftiR Halfdan ok æftiR Gunnar, brøðr sina. ÞæiR ændaðus aust[r] ...

English translation:

"Sveinn and Ulfr had the stones raised in memory of Halfdan and in memory of Gunnarr, their brothers. They met their end in the east ..."

U 154

This rune stone in style Pr3 and it is one of the runestones in Hagby

Hagby Runestones

. was discovered together with U 151 in a collapsed basement under the eastern part of the foundation of the main building of the farm Lissby. When it was discovered, it was still standing but it had been crushed and it crumbled into 50 pieces when it was removed from the wall. It was reassembled but the upper part had been lost and could not be retrieved. In 1931, it was raised in the garden of Hagby. The stone is dark and it is 1.23 m tall and 0.3 m wide. The inscription is damaged in several places.

Latin transliteration:

[þ(o)]...r × lit × rai... ... ...fast * auk × at × (k)aiRbiarn × bruþ- ... ...i(R) * (t)o a(u)s... ×

Old Norse transcription:

... let ræi[sa] ... ...fast ok at GæiRbiorn, brøð[r] ... [þæ]iR dou aus[tr].

English translation:

"... had raised ... ...-fastr and in memory of Geirbjôrn, (their) brothers ... They died in the east."

U 209

This is not properly a runestone but a runic inscription in style Pr4 that has been carved into flat bedrock at Veda. It is dated to the mid-11th century. It was ordered by Þorsteinn who enriched himself in Kievan Rus' in memory of his son. 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...

identifies this Þorsteinn with Þorsteinn, the former commander of a retinue, who is commemorated on the Turinge Runestone. He suggests that Þorsteinn was the commander of the retinue of Yaroslav I the Wise

Yaroslav I the Wise

Yaroslav I, Grand Prince of Rus, known as Yaroslav the Wise Yaroslav I, Grand Prince of Rus, known as Yaroslav the Wise Yaroslav I, Grand Prince of Rus, known as Yaroslav the Wise (Old Norse: Jarizleifr; ; Old East Slavic and Russian: Ярослав Мудрый; Ukrainian: Ярослав Мудрий; c...

and that his son Erinmundr may have died in Kievan Rus'

Kievan Rus'

Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....

while serving under his father.

The estate that was bought was probably the farm Veda, where the inscription is located. The inscription is of note as it indicates that the riches that were acquired in Eastern Europe had led to the new procedure of legally buying odal land

Odelsrett

The Odelsrett is an ancient Scandinavian allodial title which has survived in Norway as odelsrett and existed until recent times in Sweden as bördsrätt....

.

Latin transliteration:

þurtsain × kiarþi| |if×tiR irinmunt × sun sin auk| |kaubti þinsa bu × auk × aflaþi × austr i karþum

Old Norse transcription:

Þorstæinn gærði æftiR Ærinmund, sun sinn, ok køypti þennsa by ok aflaði austr i Garðum.

English translation:

"Þorsteinn made (the stone) in memory of Erinmundr, his son, and bought this estate and earned (wealth) in the east in Garðar (Russia)."

U 283

This runestone was located at the estate of Torsåker but it has disappeared. It was presumably in style Pr3 and made 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...

Fot

Fot was a runemaster who flourished in mid-11th century Sweden.-Career: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...

. It was raised by three men in memory of a fourth who had died in the east.

Latin transliteration:

[× sibi × auk × irmuntr × auk × þoriR × litu × raisa × stain × iftiR × s(u)... ... ...-- (h)(a)n * to × austr × sun × kismuntaR]

Old Norse transcription:

Sibbi ok Ærnmundr ok ÞoriR letu ræisa stæin æftiR ... ... ... Hann do austr, sunn GismundaR.

English translation:

"Sibbi and Ernmundr and Þórir had the stone raised in memory of ... ... ... He, Gísmundr's son, died in the east."

U 366

This runestone was found as fragments at Gådersta and has disappeared but it was probably in style Pr4. It was raised in memory of a man who died on the eastern route.

Latin transliteration:

[... uaR * tauþr × i austr*uih- ...]

Old Norse transcription:

... vaR dauðr i austrveg[i] ...

English translation:

"... died on the eastern route ..."

U 504

This runestone is an early inscription in style RAK without ornamentations. It is located in Ubby and it was raised in memory of a father who had travelled both in the west and in the east.

Latin transliteration:

+ kitil×fastr × risti × stin + þina × iftiR × askut × faþur + sin × saR × uas × uistr × uk × ustr + kuþ ialbi × as × salu

Old Norse transcription:

Kætilfastr ræisti stæin þenna æftiR Asgaut, faður sinn. SaR vas vestr ok austr. Guð hialpi hans salu.

English translation:

"Ketilfastr raised this stone in memory of Ásgautr, his father. He was in the west and in the east. May God help his soul."

U 636

This stone is found at Låddersta and it is in the style Fp. It is raised in memory of a son named Arnfast who travelled to Kievan Rus'. Arnfast is also mentioned on the stone U 635.

There are two readings of i karþa. One interpretation is that it means Garðaríki

Garðaríki

Garðaríki or Garðaveldi is the Old Norse term used in medieval times for the states of Kievan Rus'...

(Garðar), and another one that it may have referred to Kiev

Kiev

Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....

as Garðr.

Latin transliteration:

alui * lit * risa * stn * þtin * at * arfast * sun sin * hn * fur * ausR * i karþa

Old Norse transcription:

Alvi let ræisa stæin þenna at Arnfast, sun sinn. Hann for austr i Garða.

English translation:

"Ôlvé had this stone raised in memory of Arnfast, his son. He travelled to the east to Garðar (Russia)."

U 687

This stone, signed by the runemaster

Runemaster

Öpir

Öpir or Öper was a runemaster who flourished during the late 11th century and early 12th century in Uppland, Sweden...

, is found at Sjusta near Skokloster. It is in style Pr4 and it is raised by a lady named Rúna in memory of her four sons who had died. She had it made together with her daughter-in-law Sigríðr who was the widow of Spjallboði. They added that the place where Spjallboði had died was i olafs kriki, and several scholars have discussed the meaning of these runes.

In 1875, Richard Dybeck

Richard Dybeck

Richard Dybeck was a Swedish jurist, antiquarian and lyricist, mainly remembered as the author of the lyrics to what is now the Swedish national anthem: Du gamla, Du fria....

suggested that kriki represented Old Norse Grikk meaning "Greece", but in 1891 Sophus Bugge

Sophus Bugge

Sophus Bugge was a noted Norwegian philologist and linguist. His scientific work was directed to the study of runic inscriptions and Norse philology. Bugge is best known for his theories and his work on the runic alphabet and the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda. -Background:Elseus Sophus Bugge was...

read grið, which means "retinue". Later, in 1904, Adolf Noreen

Adolf Noreen

Adolf Gotthard Noreen was a Swedish linguist who served as a member of the Swedish Academy from 1919 until his death.-Biography:...

interpreted them as krikr, meaning "hook", but in 1907, Otto von Friesen

Otto von Friesen

Otto von Friesen was a linguist, runologist and professor of the Swedish language at Uppsala University from 1906-1935. He was also a member of the Swedish Academy from 1929-1942, serving in Chair 9....

proposed that the runes read i olafs kirki, i.e. "in Saint Olaf's Church in Novgorod

Saint Olaf's Church in Novgorod

Saint Olaf's Church in Novgorod was a church for Varangians which existed from the 11th century until the 14th century in the Russian city of Novgorod....

". von Friesen's interpretation has since then been the accepted interpretation.

Omeljan Pritsak

Omeljan Pritsak

suggests that Spjallboði died in a fire that destroyed the church in c. 1070-1080. Jansson, on the other hand, attributes the death of Spjallboði in a church to the fact that many of the medieval churches were defensive structures.

The runic text is signed by the runemaster

Runemaster

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.

Latin transliteration:

runa ' lit kiara ' mirki at ' sbialbuþa ' uk ' at ' suain ' uk ' at * antuit ' uk at ' raknaR ' suni ' sin ' uk ' ekla ' uk ' siri(þ) ' at ' sbialbuþa ' bonta sin an uaR ' tauþr ' i hulmkarþi ' i olafs * kriki ' ubiR * risti ' ru

Old Norse transcription:

Runa let gæra mærki at Spiallbuða ok at Svæin ok at Andvett ok at Ragnar, syni sina ok Hælga/Ægla/Ængla, ok Sigrið at Spiallbuða, bonda sinn. Hann vaR dauðr i Holmgarði i Olafs kirkiu. ØpiR risti runaR.

English translation:

"Rúna had the landmark made in memory of Spjallboði and in memory of Sveinn and in memory of Andvéttr and in memory of Ragnarr, sons of her and Helgi/Egli/Engli; and Sigríðr in memory of Spjallboði, her husbandman. He died in Holmgarðr in Ólafr's church. Œpir carved the runes."

U 898

This is not properly a runestone but a runic inscription on flat bedrock at Norby. It is in style Pr4 and it is raised in memory of three men, one of whom died in the East. The runic text is signed by the runemaster Öpir.

Latin transliteration:

ali ' uk ' iufurfast * litu ' gera ' merki ' iftiR iarl faþur sin ' uk ' at ' kisl ' uk ' at ' ikimunt han ' uaR ' trebin ' hustr ' sun ' iarls ybiR risti

Old Norse transcription:

Ali/Alli ok Iofurfast letu gæra mærki æftiR Iarl, faður sinn, ok at Gisl ok at Ingimund. Hann vaR drepinn austr, sunn Iarls. ØpiR risti.

English translation:

"Áli/Alli and Jôfurfast had the landmark made in memory of Jarl, their father, and in memory of Gísl and in memory of Ingimundr. He, Jarl's son, was killed in the east. Œpir carved."

Sö 33

This runestone is located in Skåäng and it is the style Fp. It was raised in memory of a man who died in an assembly in the east. It is also possible that it says that the man died in a retinue in the east.

Latin transliteration:

+ gnubha ÷ liþ : raisa : stain : þinsa : hibtiR : kulaif : bruþur sin han : antaþis : austr : at þikum

Old Norse transcription:

Gnupa let ræisa stæin þennsa æftiR Guðlæif, broður sinn. Hann ændaðis austr at þingum.

English translation:

"Gnúpa had this stone raised in memory of Gulleifr, his brother. He met his end in the east at the Assembly."

Sö 34

This runestone is located at a path called Tjuvstigen ("thief trail") and is carved in runestone style KB. This is the classification for inscriptions with a cross that is bordered by the runic text. The runic text states that it was raised in memory of two brothers who were þiægnaR goðiR or "good thegn

Thegn

The term thegn , from OE þegn, ðegn "servant, attendant, retainer", is commonly used to describe either an aristocratic retainer of a king or nobleman in Anglo-Saxon England, or as a class term, the majority of the aristocracy below the ranks of ealdormen and high-reeves...

s," which was a class of retainer, and who died somewhere in the East. This same phrase is used in its singular form on runestones Vg 8 from Hjälstads and DR 143

Gunderup Runestone

The Gunderup Runestone, or DR 143, is located in Gunderup, North Jutland County, Jutland, Denmark. It is notable because it is one of few runestones raised in commemoration of a woman.-Description:...

from Gunderup. About fifty memorial runestones describe the deceased as being a thegn.

Latin transliteration:

styrlaugR * auk * hulmbR * staina * raistu * at * bryþr * sina * brau(t)u * nesta * þaiR * entaþus * i * austruiki * þurkil * auk sturbiarn þiaknaR * kuþiR

Old Norse transcription:

StyrlaugR ok HolmbR stæina ræistu at brøðr sina, brautu næsta. ÞæiR ændaðus i austrvegi, Þorkell ok Styrbiorn, þiægnaR goðiR.

English translation:

"Styrlaugr and Holmr raised the stones next to the path in memory of their brothers. They met their end on the eastern route, Þorkell and Styrbjôrn, good Þegns."

Sö 92

This runestone is found at the cemetery of Husby. Its front side is completely covered in illustrations and it is attributed to style Pr3-Pr4. It was carved by the runemaster

Runemaster

Balle

Balle (runemaster)

Balle or Red-Balle was a runemaster who was active in the areas of western Uppland, Västmanland, and northern Södermanland of Sweden during the second half of the 11th century.-Work:...

in memory of someone's brother who died in the East.

Latin transliteration:

... * lit * raisa * st... ... rysu * br(o)... * sin * ha... ... austr * bali ...

Old Norse transcription:

... let ræisa st[æin] ... Rysiu(?), bro[ður] sinn. Ha[nn] ... austr. Balli ...

English translation:

"... had the stone raised ... Rysja(?), his brother. He ... east. Balli ..."

Sö 121

This runestone has disappeared but was located in Bönestad. It was made in the style RAK in memory of a man who died in the East.

Latin transliteration:

[sumuR : hauka : stan : sum iR : tuþ : austR * i : tuna : as(u)]

Old Norse transcription:

R> haggva stæin, sum eR dauð austr i .

English translation:

"R> cut the stone, who died in the east in ..."

Sö 126

This runestone is a runic inscription on flat bedrock in Fagerlöt. It is in the style Pr2-Pr3 and it was made in memory of a man named Áskell who fell in battle in the East. The second sentence of the inscription is in the meter fornyrðislag, and it contains a virtually unique use of the Old Norse

Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

word grimmr ("cruel") in the sense "commander". Áskell's title folksgrimmr may be the title that the commander had in the druzhina

Druzhina

Druzhina, Drużyna or Družyna in the medieval history of Slavic Europe was a retinue in service of a chieftain, also called knyaz. The name is derived from the Slavic word drug with the meaning of "companion, friend". -Early Rus:...

of Yaroslav I the Wise

Yaroslav I the Wise

in Novgorod.

Latin transliteration:

hu(l)(m)(f)riþ * ilin--r * [þ]aR * litu * hakua * stain * eftiR eskil * faþur * sin * han * trauh * orustu * i * austru[i]hi aþaa * fulks*krimR * fala * orþi

Old Norse transcription:

Holmfriðr, , þaR letu haggva stæin æftiR Æskel, faður sinn. Hann draug orrustu i austrvegi, aðan folksgrimR falla orði.

English translation:

"Holmfríðr (and) , they had the stone cut in memory of Áskell, their father. He engaged in battle on the eastern route, before the people's commander wrought his fall."

Sö 130

This runestone is found near a homestead named Hagstugan. It is either style Fp or possibly style Pr1 and it is raised in memory of a man who fell in what is today Russia. It is composed in fornyrðislag and the last line, which contains cipher runes

Cipher runes

Cipher runes, or cryptic runes, are the cryptographical replacement of the letters of the runic alphabet.-Preservation:The knowledge of cipher runes was best preserved in Iceland, and during the 17th and the 18th centuries, Icelandic scholars produced several treatises on the subject...

, was decoded by Elias Wessén

Elias Wessén

Elias Wessén was a prominent Swedish linguist and a professor of Scandinavian languages at Stockholm University . In 1947, he was honoured with one of the 18 seats at the Swedish Academy .His earliest work concerned morphological problems in the Germanic languages, Onomasiology and Norse mythology...

. It is from the first half of the 11th century.

Latin transliteration:

A fiuriR : kirþu : at : faþur : kuþan : tyrþ : trikela : at : tumara : miltan : urþa uk : mataR kuþan : þat * (u)-(h)---(u)--(u)(k)(þ)

B h=a l=f kirþu o

Old Norse transcription:

A FiuriR gærðu at faður goðan dyrð drængila at Domara/domara, mildan orða ok mataR goðan, þat ...

B Hann(?) fiall(?) [i(?)] Garðum(?) ...

English translation:

A "Four (sons) made the magnificence in memory of (their) good father, valiantly in memory of Dómari/the judge, gentle in speech and free with food ..."

B "He(?) fell(?) in(?) Garðar(?) (Russia) ..."

Sö 148

This runestone is found in Innberga and it was raised in memory of a man who died in what is today Russia. It is dated to the first half of the 11th century.

Latin transliteration:

þiuþulfR : bui : þaiR : raisþu : stain þansi : at : farulf : faþur : sin : han uas antaþ austr i kaþ(u)(m)

Old Norse transcription:

ÞiuðulfR, Boi, þæiR ræisþu stæin þannsi at Farulf, faður sinn. Hann vas ændaðr austr i Garðum.

English translation:

"Þjóðulfr (and) Búi, they raised this stone in memory of Farulfr, their father. He met his end in the east in Garðar (Russia)."

Sö 171

This runestone is a boulder that was found in Esta, and it was made in memory of the captain of a ship who died in Novgorod. The boulder is badly damaged due to weathering, but thanks to a 17th century drawing scholars know what it said. Three parts of the stone are presently located in the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities

Swedish Museum of National Antiquities

Swedish Museum of National Antiquities is a museum located in Stockholm, Sweden that covers Swedish cultural history and art from the Stone Age to the 16th century...

in Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

.

According to Jansson, the runestone testifies to the unrest that could appear in the important marketplace of Novgorod, and it was not only the captain who died, but also the entire crew. Omeljan Pritsak

Omeljan Pritsak

, on the other hand, thinks that the deceased had probably died in the service of the Novgorodian prince in the first half of the 11th century. The second half of the inscription is in the fornyrðislag meter.

Latin transliteration:

(i)nk(i)f(a)[s]tr * l[i](t) (h)(a)ku... st(a)...n * eftiR * sihuiþ * faþ-r * si[n * han * fial * i h]ul(m)[karþi * skaiþaR * uisi mi]þ * ski...ra

Old Norse transcription:

Ingifastr let haggv[a] stæ[i]n æftiR Sigvið, fað[u]r sinn. Hann fioll i Holmgarði, skæiðaR visi með ski[pa]ra.

English translation:

"Ingifastr had the stone cut in memory of Sigviðr, his father. He fell in Holmgarðr, the ship's leader with the seamen."

Sö 216

This runestone was found as a fragment in Aska, but it has disappeared. What remained said that it was made in memory of a man who died in the East.

Latin transliteration:

[(u)tar : auk : -... ... ...þis : a=ustr × ...uk-ma]

Old Norse transcription:

Ottarr ok ... ... [ænda]ðis austr ...

English translation:

"Óttarr and ... ... met his end in the east ..."

Sö 308

This runestone is a runic inscription by the runemaster

Runemaster

Öpir

Öpir or Öper was a runemaster who flourished during the late 11th century and early 12th century in Uppland, Sweden...

in the style Pr5 on a large boulder. It is presently located outside the railroad station in Södertälje

Södertälje

Södertälje is a city and the seat of Södertälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 86,069 inhabitants in 2010.The industrial city, about south of Stockholm, is the home to truck maker Scania AB and a top 10 pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca....

. It was made in memory of two men who were in the east. The runic text is signed by the runemaster Öpir, and uses a bind rune

Bind rune

A bind rune is a ligature of two or more runes. They are extremely rare in Viking Age inscriptions, but are common in pre-Viking Age and in post-Viking Age inscriptions....

to combine the a-rune and s-rune in the word hua=str, which is tentatively translated as austr ("east"). Öpir used the same a=s bind rune in inscription U 485

Uppland Runic Inscription 485

Uppland Runic Inscription 485 or U 485 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone that is located in Marma, which is about six kilometers northeast of Knivsta, Uppsala County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Uppland....

in Marma.

Latin transliteration:

hulmfastr ' roþelfr ' ---u ' [ri]sta ' run[a] ' a- ... ... (i)kifast ' suni : sina ['] -iR ua(R)u * hua=str * i(n) * ybir risti

Old Norse transcription:

Holmfastr, RoðælfR, [let]u rista runaR a[t] ... ... Ingifast, syni sina, [þ]æiR vaRu austr(?). En ØpiR risti.

English translation:

"Holmfastr (and) Hróðelfr had the runes carved in memory of ... ... Ingifastr, their sons. They were in the east(?). And Œpir carved."

Sö 338

This is a runestone raised in the church of Turinge. It is in sandstone, in the style Pr4 and it was made in memory of the chieftain of a warband. It is the most verbose of all the Varangian stones, and it was probably made in the mid-11th century.

Omeljan Pritsak

Omeljan Pritsak

identifies this Þorsteinn with Þorsteinn of the Veda inscription, who bought an estate for his son with money earned in Kievan Rus'

Kievan Rus'

Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....

. He suggests that Þorsteinn was the commander of the retinue of Yaroslav I the Wise

Yaroslav I the Wise

and that his son Erinmundr may have died in Kievan Rus'

Kievan Rus'

Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....

while serving under his father.

Latin transliteration:

A * ketil : auk + biorn + þaiR + raistu + stain + þin[a] + at + þourstain : faþur + sin + anuntr + at + bruþur + sin + auk : hu[skar]laR + hifiR + iafna + ketilau at + buanta sin * ¶ bruþr uaRu þaR bistra mana : a : lanti auk : i liþi : uti : h(i)(l)(t)u sini huska(r)la : ui- +

B han + fial + i + urustu + austr + i + garþum + lis + furugi + lanmana + bestr

Old Norse transcription:

A Kætill ok Biorn þæiR ræistu stæin þenna at Þorstæin, faður sinn, Anundr at broður sinn ok huskarlaR æftiR(?) iafna, Kætiløy at boanda sinn. Brøðr vaRu þæiR bæstra manna, a landi ok i liði uti, heldu sina huskarla ve[l].

B Hann fioll i orrustu austr i Garðum, liðs forungi, landmanna bæstr.

English translation:

A "Ketill and Bjôrn, they raised this stone in memory of Þorsteinn, their father; Ônundr in memory of his brother and the housecarls in memory of the just(?) (and) Ketiley in memory of her husbandman. These brothers were the best of men in the land and abroad in the retinue, held their housecarls well."

B "He fell in battle in the east in Garðar (Russia), commander of the retinue, the best of landholders."

Vs 1

This runestone was discovered in 1932 in the ruins of the church of Stora Rytterne. It forms a monument together with image stone Vs 2, and it was raised in memory of a son who died either in what is today Russia or in Khwarezm

Khwarezm

Khwarezm, or Chorasmia, is a large oasis region on the Amu Darya river delta in western Central Asia, which borders to the north the Aral Sea, to the east the Kyzylkum desert, to the south the Karakum desert and to the west the Ustyurt Plateau...

in Persia.

Jansson, who was the first scholar to publish an analysis of the inscription, suggested in 1940 that i * karusm was a misspelling for i krþum (i garðum, "in Gardariki"). However, in 1946, he discovered that it may refer to Khwarezm in Central Asia

Central Asia

Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...

. He proposed that it may be one of the Ingvar Runestones

Ingvar Runestones

The Ingvar Runestones is the name of c. 26 Varangian Runestones that were raised in commemoration of those who died in the Swedish Viking expedition to the Caspian Sea of Ingvar the Far-Travelled....

and that it tells where the Ingvar expedition ultimately ended in 1041. The archaeologist Ture J. Arne criticized this analysis claiming that although a Viking chieftain could arrive to the Caspian Sea in 922, when Vikings met Ibn Fadlan, such a voyage would not have been possible in the 1040s. Arne instead accepted Jansson's first analysis of the inscription.

The Rundata

Rundata

project retains Khwarezm as an equal possibility, and Omeljan Pritsak

Omeljan Pritsak

notes that karusm agrees with *qarus-m which is what the Middle Turkic

Middle Turkic

Middle Turkic refers to a phase in the development of the Turkic language family, covering much of the Middle Ages . In particular the term is used by linguists to refer to a group of Oghuz and related languages spoken during this period in Central Asia, Iran, and parts of the Middle East occupied...

form of Khwarezm would have been. Moreover, Pritsak notes that Arne was wrong in his claim that it would have been impossible for Ingvar to go to Kwarezm at the time. On the contrary, there were no obstacles for such a voyage during the period 1035-1041.

The inscription is somewhat unusual in that the sponsor's name kuþlefR, which is the first word in the inscription, is preceded and followed by a cross, perhaps done to draw attention.

Latin transliteration:

+ kuþlefR + seti : stff : auk : sena : þasi : uftiR slakua : sun : sia : etaþr : austr * i * karusm *

Old Norse transcription:

GuðlæifR satti staf ok stæina þasi æftiR Slagva, sun sinn, ændaðr austr i Garðum(?)/Chorezm(?).

English translation:

"Guðleifr placed the staff and these stones in memory of Slagvi, his son, (who) met his end in the east in Garðar(?)/Chorezm(?)."

Vs Fv1988;36

This runestone is carved in runestone style Fp and was raised in memory of Grímmundr who travelled to the east. It was discovered in 1986 at Jädra near Västerås

Västerås

Västerås is a city in central Sweden, located on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province Västmanland, some 100 km west of Stockholm...

, when stones were removed from a field. It is a lightly reddish stone which is granular and finely textured. The surface of the inscription is even but it is damaged due to flaking, making parts of the inscription difficult to read. It is 2.27 m tall, 0.9 m wide and 0.33 m thick. It is of note that the inscription when discovered still carried traces of its original colouring, which was determined to be of iron oxide

Iron oxide

Iron oxides are chemical compounds composed of iron and oxygen. All together, there are sixteen known iron oxides and oxyhydroxides.Iron oxides and oxide-hydroxides are widespread in nature, play an important role in many geological and biological processes, and are widely utilized by humans, e.g.,...

but without any noticeable traces of binding material. The nuance appears to have been the same the one used by the Department of Runes when repainting runes in modern days. The stone is of historic note as it mentions the construction of a bridge on the old trail from Badelunda and lake Mälaren

Mälaren

Lake Mälaren is the third-largest lake in Sweden, after Lakes Vänern and Vättern. Its area is 1,140 km² and its greatest depth is 64 m. Mälaren spans 120 kilometers from east to west...

to the district of Dalarna

Dalarna

', English exonym: Dalecarlia, is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. Another English language form established in literature is the Dales. Places involving the element Dalecarlia exist in the United States....

.

The Rundata designation for this Västmanland inscription, Vs Fv1988;36, 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.

Latin transliteration:

taf : lit : risa : estn : þina : hitiR : kri(m)ut ÷ uas : farin : sun : (u)iþfast-- : aust:arla ulfr : auk : uibiurn : -... kitilas : krþi : b-...(u) * (o) : s---

Old Norse transcription:

Taf(?) let ræisa stæin þenna æftiR Grimmund. VaR farinn, sunn Viðfast[aR], austarla. UlfR ok Vibiorn ... Kætilas(?)/Kætilhôss(?) gærðu b[ryggi]u a ...

English translation:

"Taf(?) had this stone raised in memory of Grímmundr. The son of Viðfastr travelled to the east. Ulfr and Vébjôrn ... Ketilas(?)/Ketilhôss(?) made the bridge at ..."

Ög 8

The Kälvesten stone in Östergötland

Östergötland

Östergötland, English exonym: East Gothland, is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland, and the Baltic Sea. In older English literature, one might also encounter the Latinized version, Ostrogothia...

is dated to the 9th century. It is the oldest inscription that mentions a Viking chieftain leading an expedition eastwards, and many other chieftains would follow in his wake. Unfortunately, it does not tell the exact destination of the Viking expedition.

In the inscription, the runes aukrimulfʀ are to be read as auk krimulfʀ and the k rune

Kaunan

The k-rune is called Kaun in both the Norwegian and Icelandic rune poems, meaning "ulcer". The reconstructed Proto-Germanic name is *Kaunan. It is also known as Kenaz , based on its Anglo-Saxon name.The Elder Futhark shape is likely directly based on Old Italic c / Latin C...

, thus represents two letters at the same time. The runes represent the common Norse name Grímulfr, which was in use all over Scandinavia

Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...

. It is of note that the name appears in such an old runestone as the other runic attestations of the name are considerably younger, and the name was common in medieval Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. The name of the deceased, Eyvindr, is a common name in Swedish runic inscriptions, but not Eivísl, the name of the chieftain of the expedition. The only other secure attestation appears on the contemporary Sparlösa Runestone

Sparlösa Runestone

The Sparlösa Runestone, listed as Vg 119 in the Rundata catalog, is located in Västergötland and is the second most famous Swedish runestone after the Rök Runestone.-Description:...

in Västergötland

Västergötland

', English exonym: West Gothland, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....

. Since the name appears on two runestones from roughly the same time and in two districts that were culturally closely connected

Geat

Geats , and sometimes Goths) were a North Germanic tribe inhabiting what is now Götaland in modern Sweden...

, the name may refer to the same person on the two runestones. Unfortunately, the Sparlösa Runestone is damaged in several places and although it mentions a battle and although there are images like birds hovering above the rigging of a ship, scholars cannot be certain that it refers to a chieftain who had fallen in battle. The idenfication between the name Eivísl on the two runestones will remain a hypothesis.

Latin transliteration:

A stikuR (') karþi kubl þ(a)=(u) aft auint sunu sin ' sa fial austr

B miR aiuisli ' uikikR faþi auk| |krimulfR

Old Norse transcription:

A StyguR/StygguR gærði kumbl þau aft Øyvind, sunu sinn. Sa fioll austr

B með Æivisli. VikingR faði ok GrimulfR.

English translation:

A "Styggr/Stigr made this monument in memory of Eyvindr, his son. He fell in the east"

B "with Eivísl. Víkingr coloured and Grímulfr."

Ög 30

This runestone is found at Skjorstad. It is in the style Fp and it was raised in memory of a man named Ingvarr who died in the East.

Latin transliteration:

: siksten : let : rasti : stain : þe(n)... : eftiR : ikuar : sun : sin : han : uarþ : austr : tauþr :

Old Norse transcription:

Sigstæinn let ræisa stæin þenn[a] æftiR Ingvar, sun sinn. Hann varð austr dauðr.

English translation:

"Sigsteinn had this stone raised in memory of Ingvarr, his son. He died in the east."

Vg 135

This runestone has disappeared but was found in the village of Hassla. It was in the style RAK and it was raised in memory of a brother who died on the eastern route.

Latin transliteration:

[brantr + risþi + stin + þinsi * eftiR nosmu × bruþur sin * saR uarþ þrebin × o tustitki]

Old Norse transcription:

Brandr ræisti stæin þennsi æftiR Asmund(?), broður sinn. SaR varð drepinn a austrvegi(?).

English translation:

"Brandr raised this stone in memory of Ásmundr(?), his brother; he was killed on the eastern route(?)."

Vg 184

This runestone is raised on the cemetery of the church of Smula. It is in the style Fp and it is raised in memory of a brother who died as a warrior in the east. He may have been a member of the Varangian Guard

Varangian Guard

The Varangian Guard was an elite unit of the Byzantine Army in 10th to the 14th centuries, whose members served as personal bodyguards of the Byzantine Emperors....

.

Latin transliteration:

: kuli : rsþi : stin : þesi : eftiR : rþr : kunu : sinaR : esburn : ok : iula : treka : hrþa : kuþa : ian : þiR : urþu : tuþiR : i : lþi : ustr :

Old Norse transcription:

Gulli/Kolli ræisti stæin þennsi æftiR brøðr konu sinnaR, Æsbiorn ok Iula, drængia harða goða. En þæiR urðu dauðiR i liði austr.

English translation:

"Gulli/Kolli raised this stone in memory of his wife's brothers Ásbjôrn and Juli, very good valiant men. And they died in the east in the retinue."

Vg 197

This runestone is raised on the cemetery of the church of Dalum. It was raised in memory of a two brothers, one of whom died in the west while the other one died in the east.

Latin transliteration:

tuki * auk * þiR * bryþr * ristu * stin * þesi * eftiR : bryþr : sina * eR : uarþ * tu(þ)r uestr : en * anar : au(s)tr :

Old Norse transcription:

Toki ok þæiR brøðr ræistu stæin þennsi æftiR brøðr sina. ER varð dauðr vestr, en annarr austr.

English translation:

"Tóki and his brothers raised this stone in memory of their brothers. One died in the west, another in the east."

Öl 28 (58)

This runestone is raised on the cemetery of Gårdby

Gårdby

Gårdby is a locality situated in Mörbylånga Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 262 inhabitants in 2005....

and it is raised in memory of a man who either stayed in what is today Russia or in a nearby location. It is dated to the period 1020-1050.

Latin transliteration:

P harþruþr + raisti + stain + þinsa + aiftiR + sun + sin + s(m)iþ + trak + kuþan + halfburin + bruþiR ans + sitr + karþum brantr + rit- × iak þu raþa + khn

Q harþruþr + raisti + stain + þinsa + aiftiR + sun + sin + s(m)iþ + trak + kuþan + halfburin + bruþiR ans + sitr + karþum brantr + rit - × iak þu raþa + khn

Old Norse transcription:

P Hærþruðr ræisti stæin þennsa æftiR sun sinn Smið, dræng goðan. Halfborinn, broðiR hans, sitr Garðum. Brandr rett hiogg, þy raða kann.

Q Hærþruðr ræisti stæin þennsa æftiR sun sinn Smið, dræng goðan. Halfborinn, broðiR hans, sitr Garðum Brandr. Rett [i] hiogg, þy raða kann.

English translation:

P "Herþrúðr raised this stone in memory of her son Smiðr, a good valiant man. Halfborinn, his brother, sits in Garðar (Russia). Brandr cut rightly, for whoever can interpret (the runes)."

Q "Herþrúðr raised this stone in memory of her son Smiðr, a good valiant man. His halfbrother Brandr sits in Garðir. Cut rightly into, for whoever can interpret (the runes)."

Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...

There are only about ten runestones on Gotland that commemorate men who died in foreign lands, which appears to challenge the common view that the island was "the international trade center of the Viking Age". Four of these runestones mention East European place names.

G 114

This runestone refers to a man who was in a place called karþum. One view holds that the place name is Garðar, i.e. Garðaríki

Garðaríki

Garðaríki or Garðaveldi is the Old Norse term used in medieval times for the states of Kievan Rus'...

(Russia), and another view is that the name refers to Garda Parish not far from the stone. Omeljan Pritsak

Omeljan Pritsak

holds the first view to be the correct one, since having been to a neighbouring parish hardly merits a mention on a runestone. It is probably from the first half of the 11th century.

Latin transliteration:

A : syniR : likna(t)(a)- ... ...(a)rua : merki : kut : ebtir : ailikni : kunu : koþa : moþur :

B ...(s) : auk : kaiRuataR : auk : liknuiaR :

C : kuþ a-... ... ...(n) : heni : auk : kieruantum : merki : m-... ...ua : aR : men : sin :

D ...(R) : i : karþum : aR : uaR : ui(u)(e) meR :: (h)...

Old Norse transcription:

A SyniR Liknhvata[R] ... [g]ærva mærki gott æftiR Æilikni, konu goða, moður

B ... ok GæiRhvataR ok LiknviaR.

C Guð o[k](?) ... [naði]n(?) hænni ok gærvandum mærki ... ... eR mænn sen

D ... i Garðum/Garde, eR vaR Vivi(?) meðr ...

English translation:

A "The sons of Líknhvatr ... the good landmark made in memory of Eilíkn, a good wife, mother ..."

B "and Geirhvatr and Líknvé."

C "God ... be gracious to her and those making the landmark ... ... who men"

D "... in Garðir/Garde, he was with Vivi(?) ... ..."

G 134

The stones G 134 and G 135 tell about the same family, and there is also an additional runestone about the same people, G 136. These runestones tell of a common situation for Scandinavian families in the 11th century: one son was killed through treason by in the South, possibly as a member of the Varangian Guard

Varangian Guard

The Varangian Guard was an elite unit of the Byzantine Army in 10th to the 14th centuries, whose members served as personal bodyguards of the Byzantine Emperors....

, and another son died in Vindau (Ventspils

Ventspils

Ventspils is a city in northwestern Latvia in the Courland historical region of Latvia, the sixth largest city in the country. As of 2006, Ventspils had a population of 43,806. Ventspils is situated on the Venta River and the Baltic Sea, and has an ice-free port...

, Latvia

Latvia

Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

).

The men who betrayed Hróðfúss were according to the runestone blökumenn ("black men") and most scholars interprete them as Walachians

Vlachs

Vlach is a blanket term covering several modern Latin peoples descending from the Latinised population in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. English variations on the name include: Walla, Wlachs, Wallachs, Vlahs, Olahs or Ulahs...

, but others, such as Omeljan Pritsak

Omeljan Pritsak

, argue in favour of a theory that they were Polovtsians

Cumans

The Cumans were Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation. After Mongol invasion , they decided to seek asylum in Hungary, and subsequently to Bulgaria...

. This theory was proposed in 1929 by Akeksej I. Sobolevskij, and he suggested that blökumenn was connected to a Central European name for the Kipchak

Kipchaks

Kipchaks were a Turkic tribal confederation...

(Qipčaq) Polovcians (Qūmans), which was Blawen, Blauen and a translation of the Slavic Plavci. All the Old Norse information on the blökumenn date to the period 1016/1017 in the case of Eymundar þáttr
Eymund's saga
Eymundar þáttr hrings is a short Norse saga, which is preserved in two versions. One of them appears as Eymundar þáttr hrings in the Flatey Book and the other one is an introductory chapter in Yngvars saga víðförla...

and to 1122 concerning the Berroa battle (Saint Olaf's miracles), but the first mention of the Wallachians is in Niketas Choniates' Chronikē diēgesis and it concerns an event in 1164. Moreover, Pritsak notes that ON blakkr also had the meaning "pale" which designated the first ruling horde of the Kipchaks who were one of the most important nomadic peoples in the 11th and 12th centuries.

Latin transliteration:

roþuisl : auk : roþalf : þau : litu : raisa : staina : eftir : sy-... ... þria : þina : eftir : roþfos : han : siku : blakumen : i : utfaru kuþ : hialbin : sial : roþfoaR kuþ : suiki : þa : aR : han : suiu :

Old Norse transcription:

Hroðvisl ok HroðælfR þaun letu ræisa stæina æftiR sy[ni sina] þria. Þenna æftiR Hroðfoss. Hann sviku blakumenn i utfaru. Guð hialpin sial HroðfosaR. Guð sviki þa, eR hann sviku.

English translation:

"Hróðvísl and Hróðelfr, they had the stones raised in memory of (their) three sons. This (one) in memory of Hróðfúss. Black men betrayed him on a voyage. May God help Hróðfúss' soul. May God betray those who betrayed him."

G 220

This runestone is found in a museum in Gotland. It is a fragment of a runestone made of limestone and it was made in memory of a man who died in Novgorod. The inscription testifies to the intense contacts that existed between Gotland and Novgorod, where the Gotlanders had a trading station of their own.

Latin transliteration:

... ...tkaiR : aR : to i : hulmka-... ...iþ(i) : -...

Old Norse transcription:

... [U]ddgæiR/[Bo]tgæiR. ER do i Holmga[rði] ... ...

English translation:

"... Oddgeirr/Bótgeirr. He died in Holmgarðir ..."

G 280

This runestone was found in Pilgårds, but is presently located in a museum on Gotland. It was dated to the last half of the 10th century by Wolfgang Krause

Wolfgang Krause

Wolfgang Krause was a German linguist. He specialised initially in Celtic studies and the Tokharians, later in Old Norse and especially runology.-Education and career:...

. The runestone was raised in memory of men led by Vífil who navigated the Dniepr cataracts, and tried to pass the most dangerous of them, the Nenasytec', the άειφόρ of Constantine Porphyrogenitus

Constantine VII

Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus, "the Purple-born" was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 913 to 959...

(Eifor). When they arrived at Rvanyj Kamin' (Rufstain), Rafn was killed and the crew raised stones in his memory south of it.

Latin transliteration:

biarfaa : statu : sis[o] stain ¶ hakbiarn : bruþr ¶ ruþuisl : austain : imuar ¶ is af[a] : st[ai]n[a] : stata : aft : raf[a] ¶ su[þ] furi : ru[f]staini : kuamu ¶ uit i aifur : uifil ¶ [ba]uþ [u=m]

Old Norse transcription:

Biartfann staddu þenna(?) stæin Hægbiorn [ok] brøðr [hans] Roðvisl, Øystæinn, Æimundr(?), es hafa stæina stadda aft Rafn suðr fyriR Rufstæini. Kvamu vitt i Æifur. Vifill bauð ...

English translation:

"Hegbjôrn raised this stone glaring (and his) brothers Hróðvísl, Eysteinn, Emundr(?), who have had stones raised in memory of Hrafn south of Rofstein. They came far and wide in Eifor. Vífill bade .."

DR 108

This runestone is found in Kolind in Syddjurs Municipality

Syddjurs municipality

Syddjurs municipality is a municipality in Region Midtjylland in Denmark just north of Aarhus and is a part of the Aarhus area...

, Denmark. It is in style RAK and it was raised in memory of a brother who died in the east.

Latin transliteration:

tusti ¤ risþi ¤ stin ¶ þonsi ¤ ift ¤ tufa ¤ is ¶ uarþ (:) tuþr : ustr : burþu¶r ¤ sin ¤ smiþr ¤ osuiþaR

Old Norse transcription:

Tosti resþi sten þænsi æft Tofa, æs warþ døþr østr, broþur sin, smiþr AswiþaR.

English translation:

"Tosti, Ásviðr's smith, raised this stone in memory of Tófi, his brother, who died in the east."

N 62

This runic inscription is found on the same stone as N 61, and they tell of the same clan. Bjørn Hougen dated N 61 to 1000-1030 and Magnus Olsen

Magnus Olsen

Magnus Bernhard Olsen was a Norwegian linguist and a professor in Norse philology at the University of Oslo from 1908 to 1948...

dated N 62 to the 1060s. It is in short-twig runes.

It relates of a man who died in a location in Eastern Europe, and there has been some scholarly debate on exactly where. Olsen read the location as Vitaholmi, miðli Vitaholms ok Garða ("Vitaholm, between Vitaholm and Garðar"), but in 1933, Lis Jacobsen suggested that the second toponym was ustaulm. In 1961, an archaeological excavation in Vitičev, near Kiev

Kiev

, by B. A. Rybakov

Boris Rybakov

Boris Alexandrovich Rybakov was a Soviet and Russian historian who personified the anti-Normanist vision of Russian history....

and Boris Kleiber, provided a solution. They discovered a beacon

Beacon

A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location.Beacons can also be combined with semaphoric or other indicators to provide important information, such as the status of an airport, by the colour and rotational pattern of its airport beacon, or of...

which had given fire signals to Kiev, and in Old Norse

Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

such a beacon was called a viti. The name Vitičev has no Slavic etymology, and so Kleiber suggested that its original name was Vitičev xolm, i.e. Vitaholmi. The name Vitičev would originally have been Vitiča, a suffixed borrowing of viti. Kleiber analysed the first part of the second Vitaholmi as usta, a genitive of an *usti which would have been how the Norse rendered the Slavic toponym Ustja (Zarub). Ustja was located on a hill near a ford across the Trubež

Trubizh River

Trubizh is a river entirely located in Ukraine, a left tributary of Dnieper. It falls into the Dnieper's Kaniv Reservoir .It is not to be confused with the Russian Trubezh River ....

, a tributary of the Dniepr. According to Kleiber, Garða is a shortened form of Kœnugarðar, the Old Norse name for Kiev. This solution reads the location of Þóraldr's death as "in Vitičev between Ustja and Kiev".

Kleiber suggests that Engli was a member of Eymund

Eymund's saga

Eymundar þáttr hrings is a short Norse saga, which is preserved in two versions. One of them appears as Eymundar þáttr hrings in the Flatey Book and the other one is an introductory chapter in Yngvars saga víðförla...

's warband which fought in Kievan Rus'

Kievan Rus'

Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....

during the first half of the 11th century.

Latin transliteration:

× ikli × reisti stein þana eftir × þoral... sun sin is uarþ tauþr × i uitahol(m)(i) miþli u(i)taulms auk karþa ×

Old Norse transcription:

Engli reisti stein þenna eptir Þórald, son sinn, er varð dauðr í Vitaholmi, miðli Vitaholms ok Garða.

English translation:

"Engli raised this stone in memory of Þóraldr, his son, who died in Vitaholmr - between Vitaholmr and Garðar (Russia)."

Sources

Harrison, D. & Svensson, K. (2007). Vikingaliv. Fälth & Hässler, Värnamo. ISBN 978-91-27-35725-9
Jones, Gwyn (1968). A History of the Vikings. New York: Oxford University Press.
Jansson, Sven B. F. (1980). Runstenar. STF, Stockholm. ISBN 91-7156-015-7
Jansson, Sven B. F (1987). Runes in Sweden. Stockholm, Gidlund. ISBN 917844067 X
Larsson, Mats G. (2002). Götarnas Riken : Upptäcktsfärder Till Sveriges Enande. Bokförlaget Atlantis AB ISBN 978-91-7486-641-4
Peterson, Lena (2002). Nordisk Runnamnslexikon. Swedish Institute for Linguistics and Heritage (Institutet för språk och folkminnen).
Project Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk - Rundata
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...

External links

An English Dictionary of Runic Inscriptions of the Younger Futhark, at the university of Nottingham

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

U 153

U 154

U 209

U 283

U 366

U 504

U 636

U 687

U 898

Sö 33

Sö 34

Sö 92

Sö 121

Sö 126

Sö 130

Sö 148

Sö 171

Sö 216

Sö 308

Sö 338

Vs 1

Vs Fv1988;36

Ög 8

Ög 30

Vg 135

Vg 184

Vg 197

Öl 28 (58)

GotlandGotlandGotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...

G 114

G 134

G 220

G 280

DR 108

N 62

See also

Sources

External links

Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...