Runestone U 896
The 1.7 m high rune stone U 896 made of granite in Uppsala in Uppland in Sweden originally comes from Håga in Bondkyrka . It was brought to Uppsala in the 17th century. In 1867 the rune stone with the stones U 489 and U 1011 was sent to the world exhibition in Paris.
The stone stands out because of its narrow, tall shape. The lower part of the runic text is missing. It starts on the lower left side, continues along the outside edge of the stone and ends on the lower right side. The rune master's signature is on the left inside the serpentine ribbon of runes. In the middle of the stone there are two crosses, one on the top and one on the bottom half. The rune text is incomplete due to a chipped surface.
It is not possible to say who built the stone because the name on the lower part of the stone has disappeared. That the dead wore white clothes means that he wore his baptismal clothes on the death bed in the Christian faith. In Uppland there are seven stones with similar inscriptions.
The stone signed with Öpir differs significantly in its decoration from other known works by Öpir, who was very productive in Uppland in the second half of the 1000s. From this it was concluded that the stone was created by someone of the same name. The signature is the same as on the rune stone U 940 , which is also in the university park. Recent studies indicate that the two stones could be Öpir's youthful works.
The stone is located behind the Gustavianum in the Universitetsparken (University Park) along with other rune stones, a modern rune stone and a concrete copy of a Bronze Age ship carving .
literature
- Mårten Stenberger: Nordic prehistory. Volume 4: Prehistory of Sweden. Wachholtz, Neumünster 1977, ISBN 3-529-01805-8 .
Web links
- Runestone U 896 - entry in the database "Fornsök" des Riksantikvarieämbetet (Swedish)
- Description and picture
- Description, styles and pictures (Swedish)
Coordinates: 59 ° 51 ′ 31.5 ″ N , 17 ° 37 ′ 52.7 ″ E