Runestone G 319 is the Rundata catalog number for a

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 E ...

on 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 ...

made from

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

that is located in the

Rute church Rute Church ( sv, Rute kyrka) is a medieval church in Rute on the Swedish island Gotland, in the Baltic Sea. The 13th century church contains medieval murals, and is unusual in that its vaults are supported by square pillars and not round columns. ...

in Gotland, Sweden.

Description

The runestone, which is 1.76 meters tall and 0.765 meters wide, is dated to the years 1200 – 1250. Similar to many runestones, it was repurposed and used in the construction of a church. It was first described as being in the Rute church in a runestone survey published 1749. The stone was hidden under a wooden floor in the 1870s, and removed to its current location during a church restoration in 1951. It is the only Gotland runestone that mentions

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. The word "Aglia" at the end of the inscription is problematic, but it has been interpreted as focusing the place of death of Audvalds. This runestone is considered to be one of the Baltic area runestones, which are Varangian runestones raised in memory of men who took part in peaceful or warlike expeditions across the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

, where Finland and the Baltic states are presently located.

Inscription

Original inscription: si ris : aruar : litu : giera : st n : yfir : auþu-l- : broþur : sin : a : finlandi : do : aglia... Translation to Old West Norse: ''Sigtryggs(?) arfar létu gera stein yfir Auðv ?), bróður sinn, á Finnlandi dó 〈aglia...〉.'' Translation to English: Sigtryggr's(?) heirs had the stone made over Auðvaldr(?), their brother, who died in Finland ...

References

{{Reflist G319 13th-century inscriptions