The Gunderup Runestone, or DR 143, is located in Gunderup,

North Jutland County North Jutland County ( da, Nordjyllands Amt) is a former county (Danish: ''amt'') in northern Denmark. It was located on the eastern half of Vendsyssel-Thy and the northernmost part of the Jutland peninsula. It was the largest county in Denmark, ...

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. It is notable because it is one of few

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 ...

s raised in commemoration of a woman.

Description

The Gunderup Runestone was first documented in 1629 as being located on a hill, but was later used for construction materials. The stone is granite and has a height of 2.46 meters. The inscription consists of two sections of runic text 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 increas ...

RAK. This is the classification for inscriptions where the ends of the runic bands are straight and do not have any beast or serpent heads attached. The inscription is dated as being carved in 900-960. The runic text states that it was raised by Tóki in memory of his step-father who was either named Api or Ebbi and of his mother Tófa. It is one of only two runestones in Denmark that memorialize both parents, the second being the now-lost DR 201 from Allerup. That stepsons did not usually inherit under local law is indicated by the text, which goes on to indicate that Api/Ebbi made Tóki his heir through some process. The text also describes the father as being ''þægn goþan'' or "a good

thegn In Anglo-Saxon England, thegns were aristocratic landowners of the second rank, below the ealdormen who governed large areas of England. The term was also used in early medieval Scandinavia for a class of retainers. In medieval Scotland, there w ...

," a phrase that is also used on two Swedish runestones, Vg 8 from Hjälstads and, in its plural form, on Sö 34 from Tjuvstigen. A thegn was a class of retainer, and about fifty memorial runestones in Denmark and Sweden mention that the deceased was a thegn. The runestone, which is known locally as the ''Gunderup-sten 1'', is currently stored at the church in Gunderup.

Inscription

Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters

:A : tuki : raisþi : stini : þoisi : auk : karþi : kub(l) (:) ¶ : þausi : aft aba : mak : sin : þaikn : kuþan : auk : :B : tufu : muþur : sino : þau : lika : baþi : i : þaum : hauki : ¶ abi : uni : tuka : fiaʀ : sins : aft : sik :Project Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk
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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 DR 143.

Transcription into Old Norse

:A ''Toki resþi stena þæssi ok gærþi kumbl þøsi æft Apa/Æbba, mag sin, þægn goþan, ok'' :B ''Tofu, moþur sina. Þø liggia bæþi i þem høgi. Api/Æbbi unni Toka feaʀ sins æft sik.''

Translation in English

:A Tóki raised these stones and made this monument in memory of Api/Ebbi, his kinsman-by-marriage, a good thane, and :B Tófa, his mother. Both of them lie in this mound. Api/Ebbi granted Tóki his wealth after himself.

References

Other sources

A site on Viking women.
{{coord, 56.9415, N, 10.0151, E, source:wikidata, display=title Runestones in Denmark Runestones raised in memory of women 10th-century inscriptions