Runestone from Altuna
The Altuna Runestone ( Swedish Altun Astenen , Rundata U 1161) is a Runenstein the Viking time (800-1050 n. Chr.), Which in Altuna in the province of Uppland in Sweden is. It is one of the few rune stones with an illustration from Norse mythology that has survived.
description
The rune stone of Altuna is a 1.95 m high granite stone , which was discovered by local researcher KA Karlinder in 1918 in the wall of a chapel, near its current position. One side of the Altunastein illustrates a legend in the Hymiskviða , the "Song of Hymir", in the Edda of Songs . The illustration shows the god Thor fishing after Jǫrmungandr, the Midgard serpent . The encounter between Thor and Jǫrmungandr seems to have been a popular motif in Scandinavian art. The picture stone in the Hørdum Kirke and the Gosforth cross are also linked to the myth.
inscription
The inscription indicates that the father Holmfastr and his son Arnfastr, to whom the stone is dedicated, may have fallen victim to arson, a method common in Scandinavian feuds. Arnfastr and his brother Véfastr share the element "fastr" in their name with their father Holmfastr. Repeating one of the elements from a parent's name on behalf of the children was a common practice in Scandinavia at the time to indicate family connection.
The inscription is classified as carved in the runic style Pr3, which is also known as the Urnes style . This style is characterized by slender and stylized animals woven into patterns. The inscription is signed by the rune master Balle , who was active in southwest Uppland and northern Södermanland during the second half of the 11th century.
The reading of the text is inconsistent:
- Side A: Véfastr, Folkaðr, Guðvarr (?) Had the stone built in memory of their father Holmfastr, (and in memory of) Arnfastr.
- Side B (Version 1): Both father and son were burned, and Balli (and) Freysteinn, Lífsteinn's followers, carved.
Side B (version 2): Both father and son were burned (carved?), And Balli (and) Freysteinn (and) Lífsteinn.
literature
- Hilda Ellis Davidson: The Lost Beliefs of Northern Europe. Routledge, London 1993, ISBN 0-415-04937-7 .
- Christopher R. Fee, David A. Leeming: Gods, Heroes and Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain. Oxford University Press. Oxford 2001, ISBN 0-19-513479-6 .
- Birgit Sawyer: The Viking-Age Rune-Stones: Custom and Commemoration in Early Medieval Scandinavia. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2000, ISBN 0-19-820643-7 .
Web links
- Runestone from Altuna - entry in the database "Fornsök" des Riksantikvarieämbetet (Swedish)
Coordinates: 59 ° 49 ′ 10.1 ″ N , 16 ° 55 ′ 54.4 ″ E