This
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 da ...
, listed in
Rundata
The Scandinavian Runic-text Data Base ( sv, Samnordisk runtextdatabas) 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 f ...
as
runic inscription
A runic inscription is an inscription made in one of the various runic alphabets. They generally contained practical information or memorials instead of magic or mythic stories. The body of runic inscriptions falls into the three categories of El ...
U 1011, was carved in the 11th century and was originally located at Örby,
Rasbo,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
.
Description
This runestone consists of a runic inscription on two sides with the text within a serpent and a cross at the top. The runestone was moved from Rasbo to
Uppsala
Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inha ...
in the 17th century.
In 1867 this runestone, along with
U 489 and
U 896, was exhibited in the
Exposition Universelle in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
.
It was dropped in
Le Havre
Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...
during its return. After having lain there for several decades, it was returned to Uppsala. It now stands in the ''Universitetsparken'' (the University Park) close to the main building of
Uppsala University
Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in opera ...
.
This is an unusual runestone in that its sponsor, Vigmund, raised it in honor of himself. There are over twenty other runestones where the sponsor stated that the stone was raised in memory of himself, including
Sö 55 in Bjudby,
U 127 in Danderyds, the now-lost
U 149 in Hagby,
U 164 and
U 165 in Täby,
U 171 in Söderby,
U 194 in Väsby,
U 212 in Vallentuna,
U 261 in Fresta,
U 308 in Ekeby, the now-lost U 345 in Yttergärde, U 433 in Husby-Ärlinghundra, U 734 in Linsunda, U 739 in Gådi, U 803 in Långtora, U 962 in Vaksala, U 1040 in Fasma, the now-lost U 1114 in Myrby,
U 1181 in Lilla Runhällen, U Fv1958;250 in Sigtuna,
Vs 17 in Råby, Vs 32 in Prästgården, and DR 212 in Tillitse. Of these, five stones known as the
Jarlabanke Runestones
The Jarlabanke Runestones ( sv, Jarlabankestenarna) is the name of about 20 runestones written in Old Norse with the Younger Futhark rune script in the 11th century, in Uppland, Sweden.
They were ordered by what appears to have been a chiefta ...
were sponsored by the same person in memory of himself.
The inscription is 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 increas ...
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 centuries ...
. 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.
Similar the inscription on
U 1016, this runic inscription uses the term ''stýrimanns'' or ''stýrimaðr'' as a title that is translated as "captain."
Other runestones use this term apparently to describe working as a steersman on a ship.
Other inscriptions using this title include Sö 161 in Råby,
U 1016 in
Fjuckby
Fjuckby () is a village in Uppsala Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden, located about 15 km (9.3 km) north of the central city Uppsala along European route E4. The village has a population of 65 people (as of 2000) within an area of 18 ...
,
U Fv1976;104 at the
Uppsala Cathedral
Uppsala Cathedral ( sv, Uppsala domkyrka) is a cathedral located between the University Hall of Uppsala University and the Fyris river in the centre of Uppsala, Sweden. A church of the Church of Sweden, the national church, in the Lutheran tra ...
, and
DR 1
DR1 (DR Et) is the flagship television channel of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR). It became Denmark's first television station when it began broadcasting in 1951 – at first only for an hour a day three times a week.
Besides its ...
in
Hedeby
Hedeby (, Old Norse ''Heiðabýr'', German language, German ''Haithabu'') was an important Danes, Danish Viking Age (8th to the 11th centuries) trading settlement near the southern end of the Jutland Peninsula, now in the Schleswig-Flensburg dist ...
.
[ pp. 104-106.] The Norse word ''sál'' for soul in the prayer was imported from English and was first recorded as being used during the tenth century.
Transliteration of runic inscription into Latin letters
:§A uihmuntr ' lit ' agua * stain * at ' sig ' selfon ' slyiastr ' mono ' guþ ' ia
i (s)ial ' uihmuntar * styrimons
:§B uihmuntr * auk ' afiriþ : eku merki ' at kuikuan * sik *
[Project Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk](_blank)
- Rundata
The Scandinavian Runic-text Data Base ( sv, Samnordisk runtextdatabas) 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 f ...
entry for U 1011.
Photographs
Image:Runestone U 1011 right.jpg, U 1011, second side.
File:Runestone U 1011 in museum garden.jpg, Photograph of U 1011 in about 1900.
References
{{reflist
See also
*
Runic alphabet
Runes are the letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were used to write various Germanic languages (with some exceptions) before they adopted the Latin alphabet, and for specialised ...
*
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 da ...
11th-century inscriptions
Runestones in Uppland