Runestone on the Ås kyrka
The rune stone at Ås kyrka south of Grästorp in Västergötland in Sweden has its Danish counterpart in rune stone 2 by Hobro ( Danish Hobro-stenen 2 ).
Both rune stones report that a gate set the stone for his companion Karl. The fact that these are Swedish Vikings who stayed near Hobro around 1000 AD can be seen from the shape of Hobro stone 2, the inscription of which is in a horseshoe-shaped serpentine band and can be read clockwise. This shape is atypical for Danish rune stones. However, the "Hobro-stenen 1" is also a serpentine stone.
Apparently Thore and Karl drove with Danish Vikings when Karl died (possibly in the hardly known battle of Gudenmor). Stone setting related to the death of a companion are also known from other parts of Sweden. Indications that the Hobro stone 2 came from a Danish rune master emerge from the wording of the text, which has a striking resemblance to the one on a stone that originally stood south of the church of Glenstrup (Glenstrupsten 2).
Ås Church is situated on a Viking Age burial mound 50 m in diameter and 2.5 m high, which could contain a boat grave. During a test excavation in 1982, a sealing layer of heather was found. The origin of the tall, slender stone that was built into the wall of the church while lying down is unknown.
literature
- Michael Lerche Nielsen: Brugen af R-runes som vokaltegn i vikingetidens runeindskrifter. Selskab for nordisk Filologi. Årsberetning 1992-1993, 1994 pp. 76-88. København.
Web links
Coordinates: 58 ° 22 '26.6 " N , 12 ° 39' 38.1" E