Skeistein
The Skeistein (also called Skeidstein or Overskeidstein ) is a slender, white rune stone about one meter high . It is on the Molandsmoen industrial estate in Fyresdal, next to road 355.
The course is located a few kilometers south of the "Heggland gamle Kirke" in the province of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway . The runes on the stone date from the 11th century and form the following text:
þorolv rit saskal raþa ru (nar) er l (e) r dies .
In Old Norse this means: þorolfr reit sà Skal ràda runar, he lèr stìgreips .
In modern Norwegian it means: «Torolv skrev. Den Skal råde (disse) runer, som låner stigbøyle (til en annen) », which translated into German means roughly the following:" Torolv wrote. (These) runes should advise him who lends the stirrups (to another).
The inscription is almost incomprehensible to us today, but it has the sound of a legal provision and interpretations are connected with the words prohibition and punishment. The text certainly indicates the rules for conducting the annual races and stallion fights.
There used to be four stones that formed a square, two are missing today. In the place where they stood, the population gathered until the 18th century on “Overskeiddag”, an important day in autumn when horse races and other competitions based on pagan traditions were held. The stones probably served as turning marks during the race.
Historical background
Overskeid comes from the Nordic Skeið meaning race track or horse race. The oldest source depicting stallion fights is a rune stone from Uppland from around 500 AD. Races and stallion fights are also the subject of Nordic legends that were written in the Middle Ages but tell of traditions that go back to the early Iron Age . Archaeological research in recent years has shown that stallion games and races were an integral part of aristocratic horse keeping. In connection with the stallion fights, horse sacrifices to the Nordic gods Thor , Odin , Frey and Freya probably also took place. Frey's horse is called Blóðughófi. The name means "bloody hooves" and can allude to stallion fights.
literature
- Magnus Olsen: Norges innskrifter med de yngre runer. Utgjeve for Kjeldeskriftfondet med hjelp i forarbeider av Sophus Bugge, Oluf Rygh and Ingvald Undset. Oslo 1951.
Web links
- Brief description and picture (norwegian.)
- Description and pictures (norway.)
- Skeisteinen , Kulturminnesøk (norweg.)
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 59 ° 12 '17.2 " N , 8 ° 5' 8.3" E