Åsmund Kåresson

Runestone U 871

Åsmund Kåresson was a Swedish rune master from the Viking Age in the first half of the 11th century. Twenty inscriptions on runestones in Uppland , Södermanland and Gästrikland are signed with his name .

More than 30 others can be attributed to him.

Åsmund is the inventor of the classic Urnes-style rune stone , in which one or two animals show their heads in profile. His style of art was groundbreaking and was executed with a skillful elegance and artistic security adapted to the shape of the stone that exceeded most of his successors ( Fot , Visäte, Øpir ).

The inscription U Fv1986; 84 on the runic rock at Bo Gård on Lidingö is signed by Åsmund and dedicated to his grandfather named Stein. The text says that Stein's sons were called Sibbi, Geirbjôrn and Ulfr. It is not known whether either of them was Åsmund's father. In addition, Åsmund performed on U 956 in Vedyxa and Gs 11 in Järvsta on his patronymic with the text "osmuntr kara sun" ( German Ásmundr Káris son ).

The most recent language and carving technique studies of the Åsmund stones show that he grew up in what is now Medelpad , moved to Uppland and then completed an apprenticeship in Gästrikland before becoming a rune master.

literature

Signe Horn Fuglesang: Swedish Runestones of the Eleventh Century: Ornament and Dating, In: Klaus Düwel et al. (eds.), Runic inscriptions as sources of interdisciplinary research, Walter de Gruyter, 1998 pp. 197–218, ISBN 3-11-015455-2 .
Laila Kitzler Åhfeldt: Åsmund Kåresson - en sällskaplig runristare In: Situne die; 2016, ISSN 1653-8498, pp. 26-39

Individual evidence

↑ Almost 25 percent of the inscriptions in Mälardalen are signed, while the corresponding number for Småland and Västergötland, for example, is only two to three percent. According to recent research, the design, carving technique, rune shapes, spelling, wording of the text, origin of the stone, size of the carving area, size of the runes and the length of the carving can be used to determine who created a carving. At the same time, rune form and spelling lose part of their earlier meaning.

personal data
SURNAME	Åsmund Kåresson
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Swedish rune master of the Viking Age
DATE OF BIRTH	10th century
DATE OF DEATH	11th century

[1] Almost 25 percent of the inscriptions in Mälardalen are signed, while the corresponding number for Småland and Västergötland, for example, is only two to three percent. According to recent research, the design, carving technique, rune shapes, spelling, wording of the text, origin of the stone, size of the carving area, size of the runes and the length of the carving can be used to determine who created a carving. At the same time, rune form and spelling lose part of their earlier meaning.