The Norra Härene Runestone, designated as Vg 59 by Rundata, is a
Viking Age
The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...
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 on the grounds of Dagsnäs Castle, which is about seven kilometers south of
Skara
Skara is a locality and the seat of Skara Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 18,580 inhabitants in 2013. Despite its small size, it is one of the oldest cities in Sweden, and has a long educational and ecclesiastical history. O ...
,
Västra Götaland County
Västra Götaland County ( sv, Västra Götalands län) is a county or '' län'' on the western coast of Sweden.
The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49 municipalities (''kommuner''). Its population of 1 ...
Västergötland
Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden.
Väs ...
.
Description
This runestone is a tall granite stone that stands at 3.3 metres tall and 1 metre wide. It was discovered in 1795 in the walls of the church of Norra Härene, which has been a ruin since the 17th century.Runstenarna vid Dagsnäs Slott (Swedish website on Skara).
The runic text describes the deceased man Fótr as being "a very 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 ...
." The term thegn was used in the late Viking Age in Sweden and Denmark to describe a class of retainer. About fifty memorial runestones described the deceased as being a thegn. Of these, the runic text on other sixteen runestones uses the same
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 ...
phrase ''harða goðan þegn'', Vg 62 in Ballstorp, Vg 102 in Håle gamla, Vg 113 in Lärkegape, Vg 115 in Stora Västölet, Vg 151 in Eggvena, Vg NOR1997;27 in Hols, DR 86 in Langå, DR 106 in Ørum, DR 115 in
Randers
Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).DR 121 in Asferg, DR 123 in Glenstrup, DR 130 in Giver, DR 213 in Skovlænge, DR 278 in Västra Nöbbelöv, DR 294 in Baldringe, and DR 343 in Östra Herrestads. In addition, four inscriptions use a different word order, ''þegn harða goðan'', include Vg 74 in Skolgården, Vg 152 in Håkansgården, Vg 157 in Storegården, and Vg 158 in Fänneslunda.
The text also states that the deceased man's wife Ása made something "as no other wife in memory of (her) husband will," but does not state what she made. One suggestion is that she composed a
lament
A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. Laments can also be expressed in a verbal manner in which participants lament about something ...
to
mourn
Mourning is the expression of an experience that is the consequence of an event in life involving loss, causing grief, occurring as a result of someone's death, specifically someone who was loved although loss from death is not exclusively ...
her husband. Another runestone where a widow is suggested as composing a lament is U 226 at
Arkils tingstad
Arkils tingstad ("Assembly location of Arkil") is the remains of the Viking Age thing or assembly location of a hundred in Uppland, Sweden. It is situated on the outskirts of Stockholm. The remains consist of a rectangular stone formation and tw ...
.
Inscription
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
:rifnikʀ : auk : kiali : auk : brunulfʀ : auk : kifulfʀ : satu : stin : þonsi : iftiʀ : fut : faþur : sin : harþa : kuþon : þign : sua : hifiʀ : osa : as : igi : mun : sum : kuin : ift : uir : siþon : kaurua :: hialmʀ : auk : hiali : hiaku : runaʀ *Project Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk – Rundata entry for Vg 59.
Transcription into Old Norse
:Hræfningʀ ok Gialli ok Brunulfʀ ok Gefulfʀ sattu stæin þannsi æftiʀ Fot, faður sinn, harða goðan þegn. Sva hæfiʀ Asa es æigi mun sum kvæn æft ver siðan gærva. Hialmʀ ok Hialli hioggu runaʀ.
Translation in English
:Hrefningr and Gjalli and Brynjulfr and Gjafulfr placed this stone in memory of Fótr, their father, a very good thegn. Thus has Ása made, as no other wife in memory of (her) husband will. Hjalmr and Hjalli cut the runes.