Västmanland Runic Inscription 17
Encyclopedia
Västmanland Runic Inscription 17 or Vs 17 is the Rundata
designation for a Viking Age
memorial
runestone with an image of a ship that is located in Råby, which is about two kilometers east of Tortuna
, Västmanland County
, Sweden
, which was in the historic province of Västmanland
.
on a serpent that encircles a ship that is on a granite stone which is 1.4 meters in height. Other runic inscriptions from the Viking Age which depict ships include DR 77 in Hjermind, DR 119 in Spentrup, DR 220
in Sønder Kirkeby, DR 258 in Bösarp, DR 271
in Tullstorp, DR 328
in Holmby, DR EM85;523 in Farsø, Ög 181
in Ledberg, Ög 224
in Stratomta, Ög MÖLM1960;230
in Törnevalla, Sö 122 in Skresta, Sö 154
in Skarpåker, Sö 158
in Österberga, Sö 164 in Spånga, Sö 351
in Överjärna, Sö 352
in Linga, Vg 51 in Husaby, U 370 in Herresta, U 979
in Gamla Uppsala, U 1052 in Axlunda, and U 1161
in Altuna. Three stones, the Hørdum
and Långtora kyrka stones and U 1001 in Rasbo, depict ships but currently do not have any runes on them and may never have had any.
The inscription, which has been damaged on the left side, is classified as probably being carved in runestone style
Pr5, 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 inscription based on stylistic analysis is attributed to a runemaster
with the normalized
name of Litle, who signed the inscriptions on runestones Vs 20 in Prästgården (Romfartuna synod), Vs 27
in Grällsta, and probably the now-lost Vs 28 in Grällsta. Other inscriptions attributed to Litle based on stylistic analysis include Vs 22
in Ulvsta and Vs 32 in Prästgården (Västerfärnebo synod).
The runic text indicates that the stone was raised by Holmsteinn in memory of his wife Tíðfríðr and of himself. The runemaster used a punctuation mark consisting of two dots as a word divider for each word of the text.
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...
designation 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 with an image of a ship that is located in Råby, which is about two kilometers east of Tortuna
Tortuna
Tortuna is a locality situated in Västerås Municipality, Västmanland County, Sweden with 439 inhabitants in 2005....
, Västmanland County
Västmanland County
Västmanland County is a county or län in central Sweden. It borders to the counties of Södermanland, Örebro, Gävleborg, Dalarna and Uppsala...
, 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 in the historic province of Västmanland
Västmanland
' is a historical Swedish province, or landskap, in middle Sweden. It borders Södermanland, Närke, Värmland, Dalarna and Uppland.The name comes from "West men", referring to the people west of Uppland, the core province of early Sweden.- Administration :...
.
Description
The inscription on Vs 17 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...
on a serpent that encircles a ship that is on a granite stone which is 1.4 meters in height. Other runic inscriptions from the Viking Age which depict ships include DR 77 in Hjermind, DR 119 in Spentrup, DR 220
Sønder Kirkeby Runestone
The Sønder Kirkeby Runestone, listed as runic inscription DR 220 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone that was discovered in Sønder Kirkeby, which is located about 5 kilometers east of Nykøbing Falster, Denmark.-Description:...
in Sønder Kirkeby, DR 258 in Bösarp, DR 271
Tullstorp Runestone
The Tullstorp Runestone is a Viking Age memorial runestone, listed as DR 271 in the Rundata catalog, that is located in Tullstorp, Scania, Sweden.-Description:...
in Tullstorp, DR 328
Holmby Runestone
The Holmby Runestone, listed as DR 328 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone with an image of a ship that is located in Holmby, which is about 2 kilometers southeast of Flyinge, Scania, Sweden.-Description:...
in Holmby, DR EM85;523 in Farsø, Ög 181
Ledberg stone
The Ledberg stone, designated as Ög 181 under Rundata, is an image- and runestone located in Östergötland, Sweden.-Description:The Ledberg stone, similar to Thorwald's Cross, a partially surviving runestone erected at Kirk Andreas on the Isle of Man, features a figure with his foot at the mouth of...
in Ledberg, Ög 224
Östergötland Runic Inscription 224
Östergötland Runic Inscription 224 or Ög 224 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone that is located in Stratomta, which is 9 kilometers east of Linköping, Östergötland, Sweden...
in Stratomta, Ög MÖLM1960;230
Östergötland Runic Inscription MÖLM1960;230
Östergötland Runic Inscription MÖLM1960;230 or Ög MÖLM1960;230 is the Rundata catalog number for a memorial runestone that is located near a church in Törnevalla, which is 2 kilometers east of Linghem, Östergötland County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Östergötland...
in Törnevalla, Sö 122 in Skresta, Sö 154
Skarpåker Stone
The Skarpåker Stone, designated by Rundata as Sö 154, is a Viking Age memorial runestone that was originally located in Skarpåker, Nyköping, Sörmland, Sweden, and which dates to the early 11th century.-Description:...
in Skarpåker, Sö 158
Södermanland Runic Inscription 158
Södermanland Runic Inscription 158 or Sö 158 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Österberga, which is one kilometer southwest of Ärsta and three kilometers southwest of Runtuna, Södermanland, Sweden...
in Österberga, Sö 164 in Spånga, Sö 351
Södermanland Runic Inscription 351
Södermanland Runic Inscription 351 or Sö 351 is the Rundata catalog number of a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Överjärna, which is part of Järna, Stockholm County, Sweden, which was part of the historic province of Södermanland...
in Överjärna, Sö 352
Södermanland Runic Inscription 352
Södermanland Runic Inscription 352 or Sö 352 is a Viking Age memorial runestone located at Linga, which is about two kilometers south of Järna, Stockholm County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Södermanland...
in Linga, Vg 51 in Husaby, U 370 in Herresta, U 979
Uppland Runic Inscription 979
Uppland Runic Inscription 979 or U 979 is the Rundata designation for a Viking Age runestone located at Gamla Uppsala, Sweden, which depicts a ship.-Description:U 979 is a damaged runestone located near the north entrance to the church at Gamla Uppsala...
in Gamla Uppsala, U 1052 in Axlunda, and 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. Three stones, the Hørdum
Hørdum stone
The Hørdum stone is a Viking Age picture stone discovered in Hørdum, Thisted Municipality, North Denmark Region, Denmark, that depicts a legend from Norse mythology involving the god Thor and Jörmungandr, the Midgard serpent.-Description:...
and Långtora kyrka stones and U 1001 in Rasbo, depict ships but currently do not have any runes on them and may never have had any.
The inscription, which has been damaged on the left side, is classified as probably 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....
Pr5, 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 inscription based on stylistic analysis is attributed to 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 Litle, who signed the inscriptions on runestones Vs 20 in Prästgården (Romfartuna synod), Vs 27
Grällsta Runestone
The Grällsta Runestone, listed as Västmanland Runic Inscription 27 or Vs 27 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Grällsta, which is about nine kilometers northeast of Ransta, Västmanland County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Västmanland...
in Grällsta, and probably the now-lost Vs 28 in Grällsta. Other inscriptions attributed to Litle based on stylistic analysis include Vs 22
Västmanland Runic Inscription 22
Västmanland Runic Inscription 22 or Vs 22 is the Rundata designation for a Viking Age memorial runestone that was originally located at Ulvsta, but has been moved to Svana, which is about seven kilometers north of Skultuna, Västmanland County, Sweden, and which was in the historic province of...
in Ulvsta and Vs 32 in Prästgården (Västerfärnebo synod).
The runic text indicates that the stone was raised by Holmsteinn in memory of his wife Tíðfríðr and of himself. The runemaster used a punctuation mark consisting of two dots as a word divider for each word of the text.
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- holmste[n] : let : resa : mer[ki : eftir : tifrit : gonu : sina : ok : iftir] : sik : selfan :
Transcription into Old Norse
- Holmstæinn let ræisa mærki æftiR Tiðfrið, konu sina, ok æftiR sik sialfan.
Translation in English
- Holmsteinn had the landmark raised in memory of Tíðfríðr, his wife, and in memory of himself.