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The Velanda Runestone ( sv, Velandastenen), designated as Vg 150 in the Rundata catalog, is a runestone dated to the late tenth century or the early eleventh century that is located in the village of Velanda,
- Rundata entry for Vg 150.
:Þyrvé raised the stone in memory of Ôgmundr, her husbandman, a very good thegn. May Þórr hallow.
Photograph of runestone
- Swedish National Heritage Board {{runestones Runestones in Västergötland 10th-century inscriptions 11th-century inscriptions
Trollhättan Municipality
Trollhättan Municipality (''Trollhättans kommun'' or ''Trollhättans stad'') is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Trollhättan.
The municipality was created gradually in 1967, 1971 ...
, 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 ...
, Sweden, which is in the historic province of 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 ...
. It was discovered around 1910 by a farmer named Jacobsson.
Description
The Velanda Runestone is inscribed inOld 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 ...
with the Younger Futhark. Above the arch of the runic text band is the outline of an eagle's head facing to the left. The stone was raised by a woman named Þyrvé in memory of her husband Ögmundr. The runic inscription states that he was ''miok goðan þegn'' or "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 ...
". About fifty other runestones refer to the deceased being a thegn. Of these, four use exactly the same phrase, ''miok goðan þegn'': Vg 73 in Synnerby, Vg 108 in Tängs gamla, Vg 137 in Sörby, and DR 99 in Bjerregrav. The exact role of thegns in southern Sweden is a matter of debate, but the most common view is that they constituted an elite somehow connected to Danish power. It is thought that thegn-stones point to power centers from which they came, and from where they could be sent out to rule border areas in so-called ''tegnebyar''.
The inscription asks the Norse pagan
Old Norse religion, also known as Norse paganism, is the most common name for a branch of Germanic religion which developed during the Proto-Norse period, when the North Germanic peoples separated into a distinct branch of the Germanic people ...
god Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...
to hallow the runestone. One or two other runestones in Sweden have similar invocations to Thor: Ög 136 in Rök and possibly Sö 140 at Korpbron. Other runestones in Denmark that include invocations of or dedications to Thor in their inscriptions include DR 110 from Virring, DR 209 from Glavendrup, and DR 220 from Sønder Kirkeby. It has been noted that Thor is the only Norse god who is invoked on any 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 ...
runestones.
Inscription
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters
:× þurui : risþi : stin : iftiʀ : ukmut : buta : sin : miuk : kuþan : þikn × þur : uiki ×Project Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk- Rundata entry for Vg 150.
Transcription into Old Norse
:Þyrvé reisti stein eptir Ǫgmund, bónda sinn, mjǫk góðan þegn. Þórr vígi.Translation in English
:Þyrvé raised the stone in memory of Ôgmundr, her husbandman, a very good thegn. May Þórr hallow.
References
Other sources
* Larsson, Mats G. (2002). ''Götarnas Riken : Upptäcktsfärder Till Sveriges Enande''. Bokförlaget Atlantis ABExternal links
Photograph of runestone
- Swedish National Heritage Board {{runestones Runestones in Västergötland 10th-century inscriptions 11th-century inscriptions