U 11 is the
Rundata designation for a
runestone
A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition began in the 4th century and lasted into the 12th century, but most of the runestones d ...
that is located near the ruins of the old king's dwelling at
Alsnö hus
''Alsnö hus'' (''Alsnö House'') is the ruin of a palace at the Hovgården settlement archaeological site, located on the island of Adelsö (formerly called ''Alsnö'') in Lake Mälaren in central-eastern Sweden. The ruins are part of the combin ...
near
Hovgården
Hovgården is an archaeological site on the Lake Mälaren island of Adelsö in Ekerö Municipality in central-eastern Sweden. During the Viking Age, the centre of the prospering Mälaren Valley was the settlement Birka, founded in the mid-8th ce ...
on the island of
Adelsö
Adelsö is an island in the middle of Lake Mälaren in Sweden, near Björkfjärden. The island is part of Ekerö Municipality and Stockholm County. It is about by ferry and road west of downtown Stockholm. The administrative center of the impor ...
in
Sweden.
Description
This runestone has an intricate design with the runic text within serpents. The inscription is unsigned and is classified as being carved in
runestone style
:''The term "runestone style" in the singular may refer to the Urnes style.''
The style or design of runestones varied during the Viking Age. The early runestones were simple in design, but towards the end of the runestone era they became increa ...
Pr4, which is also known as
Urnes style
Viking art, also known commonly as Norse art, is a term widely accepted for the art of Scandinavian Norsemen and Viking settlements further afield—particularly in the British Isles and Iceland—during the Viking Age of the 8th-11th centurie ...
. 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.
Tolir is described as being a "bryte," which is an old Swedish word for a
thrall
A thrall ( non, þræll, is, þræll, fo, trælur, no, trell, træl, da, træl, sv, träl) was a slave or serf in Scandinavian lands during the Viking Age. The corresponding term in Old English was . The status of slave (, ) contrasts wi ...
who worked as the thralls' foreman. The word "bryte" comes from "to break," in the meaning of breaking bread, so "bryte" can be interpreted as the person who serves out
food.
Gylla was Tolir's wife. Håkon is believed to be the reigning king
Håkan the Red
Håkan the Red ( Swedish: ''Håkan Röde'') was a king of Sweden, reigning for about half a decade in the second half of the 11th century.''Håkan Röde'' in ''Nationalencyklopedin'':
There is little information on him, and it is mostly contradic ...
, who is generally accepted as ruling during the 1070s. This would be consistent with the runic text, which using the word ''kunungi'' or ''kunungr'',
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...
for "king." Because of this, the stone is known as ''Håkansstenen''.
Tranlisteration of runic text into Latin letters
:raþ, , þu : runaʀ : ret : lit : rista : toliʀ : bry
: i roþ : kunuki : toliʀ : a(u)k : gyla : litu : ris... ...- : þaun : hion : eftiʀ ...k : merki srni... haku(n) * (b)aþ : rista
[Project Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk](_blank)
- Rundata entry for U 11.
See also
*
Alsnö hus
''Alsnö hus'' (''Alsnö House'') is the ruin of a palace at the Hovgården settlement archaeological site, located on the island of Adelsö (formerly called ''Alsnö'') in Lake Mälaren in central-eastern Sweden. The ruins are part of the combin ...
References
External links
U 11, Hovgården, Adelsö
Additional images
File:Konungr.jpg, Detail showing the word ''kunungi'' or "king."
File:Uppland Rune Inscription 11 drawing.gif, Drawing of U 11.
{{coord, 59, 21, 36, N, 17, 32, 03, E, region:SE_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki, display=title
Uppland Runic Inscription 0011