This runic inscription, designated as U Fv1948;168 in the

Rundata The Scandinavian Runic-text Database () is a project involving the creation and maintenance of a database of transliterated runic inscriptions. The project's goal is to comprehensively catalog runestones in a machine-readable way for future resea ...

catalog, is on a

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...

runestone A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic alphabet, runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition of erecting runestones as a memorial to dead men began in the 4th centur ...

to two sons that is located in

Alsike ''Trifolium hybridum'', the alsike clover, is a species of flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae. The stalked, pale pink or whitish flower head grows from the leaf axils, and the trifoliate leaves are unmarked. The plant is up to tall, an ...

Uppsala County Uppsala County () is a county or '' län'' on the eastern coast of Sweden, whose capital is the city of Uppsala. It borders the counties of Dalarna, Stockholm, Södermanland, Västmanland, Gävleborg, and the Baltic Sea. Province The nor ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, which is in the historic province of

Uppland Uppland is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The name literally ...

Description

This runestone was discovered on December 5, 1947 during restoration work at the church in Alsike. Before the historic significance of runestones was understood, they were often reused as materials in the construction of buildings, roads, and bridges. The stone was repaired and raised next to the church in 1948. The inscription on this granite stone, which is 1.9 meters in height, consists of runic text in the younger futhark carved on a serpent that is intertwined in an intricate design. In the upper center of the design is a

Christian cross The Christian cross, seen as representing the crucifixion of Jesus, is a religious symbol, symbol of Christianity. It is related to the crucifix, a cross that includes a ''corpus'' (a representation of Jesus' body, usually three-dimensional) a ...

. The inscription 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 ...

Pr5, 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 Vikings, Viking settlements further afield—particularly in the British Isles and Iceland—during the Viking Age of the 8th-11th ...

. 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. The runic text states that the stone was raised by the parents and two brothers in memory of Gagi and Harðr. The father's name Sibbi is likely a

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

, and, based upon the names of two of the two sons, Sigmundr and Sigfastr, may be short for Sigbjórn. A common practice at that time in

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

was the repeating one of the name elements from a parent's name in the names of the children to show the family connection. p. 750. The inscription is signed by the

runemaster A runemaster or runecarver is a specialist in making runestones. Description More than 100 names of runemasters are known from Viking Age Sweden with most of them from 11th-century eastern Svealand.The article ''Runristare'' in ''Nationalencyklo ...

Öpir Öpir or ''Öper'' (Old Norse: ''Øpiʀ''/''Œpir'', meaning "shouter") was a runemaster who flourished during the late 11th century and early 12th century in Uppland, Sweden.The article ''Öpir'' in ''Nationalencyklopedin'' (1996). He was the m ...

, who was active during the late 11th century and early 12th century in Uppland. His signature, ybir risti or ''Øpiʀ risti'' ("Œpir carved"), is separated from the rest of the runic text and is located on the left side of the inscription, inside of the serpent, and under the cross. His style is sufficiently distinctive that this inscription would have been attributed to him even without his signature being present. The Rundata designation for this Uppland inscription, U Fv1948;168, refers to the year and page number of the issue of ''

Fornvännen (), ''Journal of Swedish Antiquarian Research'' is a Swedish academic journal in the fields of archaeology and Medieval art. It is published quarterly by the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities in Stockholm, Sweden. The jou ...

'' in which the runestone was first described.

Inscription

Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters

:sibi * uk * ikriþ * litu * raisa * stain * iftiʀ * g-ha * uk * at * harþ * suni * sina * sihimuntr * uk * sihikfastr * bryþr * sina ybir ristiProject Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk
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entry for U Fv1948;168.

Transcription into Old Norse

:''Sibbi ok Ingrið letu ræisa stæin æftiʀ G a(?) ok at Harð, syni sina, Sigmundr ok Sigfastr tbrøðr sina. Øpiʀ risti.''

Translation in English

:Sibbi and Ingríðr had the stone raised in memory of Gagi(?) and in memory of Harðr, their sons; Sigmundr and Sigfastr in memory of their brothers. Œpir carved.

References