Västra Strö 2 Runestone
Encyclopedia
The Västra Strö 2 Runestone, listed as DR 335 in the Rundata
catalog, is a Viking Age
memorial runestone located at the Västra Strö Monument, which is at a church that is about four kilometers northwest of Eslöv
, Skåne County
, Sweden
.
and two runestones, DR 355 and the Viking runestone
DR 334. The two stones have a Danish Rundata catalog number because Scania
was part of the historical Denmark
during the Viking Age. The monument was surveyed in the 17th century by the Danish antiquarian
Ole Worm
who documented the inscriptions and reported that it was in good condition. This was not the case during a second survey in 1876 when all stones except one were found to have fallen. The Lund Kulturen
restored the monument in 1932.
When the stone was raised in 1932, a mask of a man's face was discovered on the other side. This is a common motif and is found on several other runestones including DR 62 in Sjelle, DR 66 in Århus, DR 81
in Skern, DR 258 in Bösarp, the now-lost DR 286
in Hunnestad, DR 314
in Lund, Vg 106 in Lassegården, Sö 86
in Åby ägor, Sö 112 in Kolunda, Sö 167 in Landshammar, Sö 367
in Släbro, Nä 34
in Nasta, U 508 in Gillberga, U 670 in Rölunda, U 678 in Skokloster, U 824
in Holms, U 1034
in Tensta, and U 1150 in Björklinge, and on the Sjellebro Stone
.
The Västra Strö 2 Runestone consists of runic text in an arch that is classified as being carved in runestone style
RAK, which is considered to be the oldest classification. This is the classification for inscriptions that have straight text band ends without any attached serpent or beast heads. Each word in the runic text is separated by a two dot word divider punctuation mark. Runic inscriptions are often dated based upon comparative linguistic
and stylistic analysis, and the inscription on DR 335 has been dated to approximately the period of 960 to 1050 C.E.
The runic text states that Faðir raised the stone as a memorial to Bjôrn, with whom he owned a ship, and Faðir likely created the Västra Strö Monument. Faðir also sponsored DR 344, which is a memorial to his brother Ôzurr, who died i wikingu or on a Viking raid or expedition. It is possible that Faðir and Bjôrn also went on this joint expedition. The brother Ôzurr is not mentioned as having a part owner the ship. Other runestones that state that the deceased was a ship owner include DR 68 in Århus and U 778 in Svinnegarn.
The stone is known locally as the Västra Ströstenen 2.
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 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 the Västra Strö Monument, which is at a church that is about four kilometers northwest of Eslöv
Eslöv
Eslöv is a city and the seat of Eslöv Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 16,551 inhabitants in 2005.Eslöv is part of the Øresund Region and is today largely serving as a suburb of Malmö and Lund.-History:...
, Skåne County
Skåne County
Skåne County is the southernmost administrative county or län, of Sweden, basically corresponding to the historical province Scania. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronoberg and Blekinge. The seat of residence for the Skåne Governor is the town of Malmö...
, 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
The Västra Strö Monument consists of five standing stonesMenhir
A menhir is a large upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Their size can vary considerably; but their shape is generally uneven and squared, often tapering towards the top...
and two runestones, DR 355 and the Viking runestone
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...
DR 334. The two stones have a Danish Rundata catalog number because Scania
Scania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
was part of the historical Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
during the Viking Age. The monument was surveyed in the 17th century by the Danish antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
Ole Worm
Ole Worm
Ole Worm , who often went by the Latinized form of his name Olaus Wormius, was a Danish physician and antiquary.-Life:...
who documented the inscriptions and reported that it was in good condition. This was not the case during a second survey in 1876 when all stones except one were found to have fallen. The Lund Kulturen
Kulturen
Kulturen is a museum in Lund, Sweden. Kulturen is Sweden's second oldest open-air museum after Skansen in Stockholm. The complete name of the museum is Kulturhistoriska föreningen för södra Sverige.-History:...
restored the monument in 1932.
When the stone was raised in 1932, a mask of a man's face was discovered on the other side. This is a common motif and is found on several other runestones including DR 62 in Sjelle, DR 66 in Århus, DR 81
Skern Runestone
The Skern Runestone, designated as Danish Runic Inscription 81 or DR 81 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Skjern, Denmark. The stone features a facial mask and an inscription which ends in a curse...
in Skern, DR 258 in Bösarp, the now-lost DR 286
Hunnestad Monument
The Hunnestad Monument , listed as DR 282 through 286 in the Rundata catalog, were once located at Hunnestad in Marsvinsholm north-west of Ystad, Sweden. It was the largest and most famous of the Viking Age monuments in Scania, and in Denmark, only comparable to the Jelling stones...
in Hunnestad, DR 314
Lund 1 Runestone
The Lund 1 Runestone, designated as DR 314 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone originally located on the grounds of the Allhelgona church in Lund, Scania, Sweden.-Description:...
in Lund, Vg 106 in Lassegården, Sö 86
Södermanland Runic Inscription 86
thumb|300px|right|A drawing of runic inscription Sö 86 published in 1876.Sö 86 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runic inscription located in Åby, Södermanland, Sweden...
in Åby ägor, Sö 112 in Kolunda, Sö 167 in Landshammar, Sö 367
Södermanland Runic Inscription 367
Södermanland Runic Inscription 367 or Sö 367 is the Rundata catalog designation for a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Släbro, which is one kilometer north of Nyköping, Södermanland County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Södermanland...
in Släbro, Nä 34
Nasta Runestone
The Nasta Runestone, listed as Nä 34 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Nasta, which is 3 kilometers northwest of Glanshammar, Örebro County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Närke.-Description:...
in Nasta, U 508 in Gillberga, U 670 in Rölunda, U 678 in Skokloster, U 824
Uppland Runic Inscription 824
Uppland Runic Inscription 824 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone located at Holms, which is about eight kilometers east of Örsundsbro, Uppsala County, Sweden. The inscription features a facial mask and a bind rune in the text....
in Holms, U 1034
Uppland Runic Inscription 1034
Uppland Runic Inscription 1034 or U 1034 is the Rundata catalog number for a runic inscription on a runestone located at the Tensta church in Uppland, Sweden, that was carved in the late 11th or early 12th century...
in Tensta, and U 1150 in Björklinge, and on the Sjellebro Stone
Sjellebro Stone
The Sjellebro Stone is a Viking Age image stone located at Sjellbro, which is about 12 kilometers southeast of Randers, Denmark. The stone is inscribed with a facial mask.-Description:...
.
The Västra Strö 2 Runestone consists of runic text in an arch that 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....
RAK, which is considered to be the oldest classification. This is the classification for inscriptions that have straight text band ends without any attached serpent or beast heads. Each word in the runic text is separated by a two dot word divider punctuation mark. 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 DR 335 has been dated to approximately the period of 960 to 1050 C.E.
The runic text states that Faðir raised the stone as a memorial to Bjôrn, with whom he owned a ship, and Faðir likely created the Västra Strö Monument. Faðir also sponsored DR 344, which is a memorial to his brother Ôzurr, who died i wikingu or on a Viking raid or expedition. It is possible that Faðir and Bjôrn also went on this joint expedition. The brother Ôzurr is not mentioned as having a part owner the ship. Other runestones that state that the deceased was a ship owner include DR 68 in Århus and U 778 in Svinnegarn.
The stone is known locally as the Västra Ströstenen 2.
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
- faþiR : lit : hukua : stin : þan(s)i : uftiR : biurn : is : skib : ati : miþ : anum :
Transcription into Old Norse
- FaþiR let hoggwa sten þænsi æftiR Biorn, æs skip atti mæþ hanum.
Translation in English
- Faðir had this stone cut in memory of Bjôrn, who owned a ship with him.
Other sources
- This article contains some information from the Swedish Wikipedia article Västra Strömonumentet.
External links
- Maskesten - Billedsten fra Vikingtiden - Arild Hauge webpage on mask stones