Ledberg stone
Ledberg stone | |
---|---|
Created | 11th Century |
Discovered | Ledberg, Östergötland, Sweden |
Rundata ID | Ög 181 |
Text – Native | |
See article. | |
Translation | |
See article. |
The Ledberg stone, designated as Ög 181 under
.Description
The Ledberg stone is a partially surviving
Some scholars, however, believe that the images of the Ledberg stone depict the final story of either Þorgautr or Gunna,[citation needed] who are memorialized in the runic inscription. If the images are followed in the same order as the runes are written, they seem to create a chronological account. The first image is of a ship; this depicts a journey abroad. Next, there is a figure walking to the left, carrying what is most likely a shield, in preparation for departure. In the third image, the figure is carrying weapons and a shield to the right, probably marching to battle. At the top of the second side of the stone, the figure's foot is being bitten by a wolf and finally, we see the figure legless with arms sprawled, likely lying dead on the battlefield. Wolves were often used in Viking art and poetry to signify combat,[3] so it is thought to be unlikely that the figure fell in battle due to wounds caused by a wolf.
The warrior figures have shields, one carries a spear, and all have moustaches and beards, except for the Odin figure. The helmets are conical and similar in shape to those shown on the Bayeux Tapestry.[4]
Inscription
The runic inscription of the Ledberg stone is carved in the
ᛒᛁᛋᛁ
(b)isi
᛬
·
ᛋᛅᛏᛁ
sati
᛬
:
ᛋᛏᛁ
sti[n]
᛬
:
ᚦᛁᛋᛁ
þisi
᛬
:
ᛁᚠᛏᛁᛦ
iftiʀ
᛬
:
ᚦᚢᚱᚴᚢᛏ
þurkut
᛬
:
ᚢ----ᚦᛁ
u----þi
᛬
:
ᚠᛅᚦᚢᚱ
faþur
Bisi placed this stone in memory of Þorgautr … his father.
᛬
:
ᛋᛁᚾ
sin
᛬
:
ᚢᚴ
uk
᛬
:
ᚦᚢ
þu
᛬
:
ᚴᚢᚾᛅ
kuna
᛬
:
ᛒᛅᚦᛁ
baþi
᛬
:
And Gunna, both.
Charm
The final part of the B-side contains a rhyming charm or spell (galdr), which reads:
ᚦᛘᚴ
þmk
᛬
:
ᛁᛁᛁ
iii
᛬
:
ᛋᛋᛋ
sss
᛬
:
ᛏᛏᛏ
ttt
᛬
:
ᛁᛁᛁ
iii
᛬
:
ᛚᛚᛚ
lll
᛬
:
which is to be read (in normalized Old Icelandic spelling):
This type of charm (
Of the personal names in the inscription, Þorgautr contains as a name element the Norse god Thor.
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 91-7844-067-X. p. 152.
- ^ Bellows, Henry Adams (trans.) (1936). Völuspá, stanzas 51-59.
- ISBN 91-89116-81-X.
- ISBN 1-84383-124-4.
- ^ "Runic inscription Ög", Scandinavian Runic-text Database, Department of Scandinavian Languages, Uppsala University, 2020, retrieved December 11, 2021
- ^ ISBN 1-84383-205-4.