Serkland Runestones

There are six or seven Serkland Runestones which are Varangian Runestones that mention voyages to Serkland, the Old Norse name for the Islamic world in the south. Most of them probably date from the 11th century and they were engraved with the Younger Futhark.

All but two of the rune stones belong to the c. 26 Ingvar Runestones.

Uppland

U 439

. [ [http://skaldic.arts.usyd.edu.au/db.php?table=mss&id=15335 U 439, at Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages.] ]

Latin transliteration:

: [harlaif × auk × þurkarþr × litu × raisa × stain × þina at × sabi faþur sin × is| |sturþi × austr × skibi × maþ ikuari a/a| |askalat-/skalat-]

Old Norse transcription:

: "Hærlæif ok Þorgærðr letu ræisa stæin þenna at Sæbiorn, faður sinn. Es styrði austr skipi með Ingvari a Æistaland(?)/Særkland [i] (?)."

English translation:

: "Herleif and Þorgerðr had this stone raised in memory of Sæbjôrn, their father, who steered a ship east with Ingvarr to Estonia(?)/Serkland(?)."

U 785

, the leader of the expedition.

It is from the first half of the 11th century and it is inscribed in Old Norse with the Younger Futhark. It is raised by a man in memory of his brother who died in Serkland.

Latin transliteration:

: uifas-- ... : risa : s(t)in : þ(t)ino : ub : at : k-þmunt : bruþur : sin : han : uarþ : tuþr : a : srklant- kuþ halbi : ant : ans

Old Norse transcription:

: "Vifas [tr] [let] ræisa stæin þenna upp at G [u] ðmund, broður sinn. Hann varð dauðr a Særkland [i] . Guð hialpi and hans."

English translation:

: "Véfastr had this stone raised up in memory of Guðmundr, his brother. He died in Serkland. May God help his spirit."

Södermanland

ö 279

.

Latin transliteration:

: ai... ... ...(u)a : --(a)- ... ...uni ÷ aimunt... ... sunarla : a : se(r)kl...

Old Norse transcription:

: "Æi... ... [hagg] va [st] æ [in] ... [s] yni Æimund [aR] ... sunnarla a Særkl [andi] ."

English translation:

: "Ei-... ... the stone cut ... Eimundr's son ... in the south in Serkland."

ö 131

[
Richard Dybeck.] This stone is one of the Ingvar Runestones and it is located in Lundby. When Richard Dybeck visited the grave field in the mid-19th century, someone pointed out a stone which rose only three inches above the ground and which was said to be "written".The article " [http://www.raa.se/cms/extern/kulturarv/arkeologi_och_fornlamningar/lundby_runstenar_i_sverige.html Lundby] " on the site of the Swedish National Heritage Board, retrieved May 20, 2007.] Dybeck excavated the stone and discovered that it was a runestone with an interesting inscription. In Dybeck's time, there were also the remains of a stone ship next to the runestone.

Skarði is a rather unusual name, but it appears in runic inscriptions in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The name is probably derived from a word for "score" and it probably refers to someone who is hare lipped. The name Spjóti is also unusual and the unique name Spjót is found on the nearby Kjula Runestone. The word "heðan" ("from here") is only found in one single Viking Age runic inscription.

The last part of the inscription is an alliterative poem. This kind of verse appears on several runestones and it is well-known from Old West Norse poetry.

Latin transliteration:

: : sbiuti : halftan : þaiR : raisþu : stain : þansi : eftiR : skarþa : bruþur sin : fur : austr : hiþan : miþ : ikuari : o sirklanti : likR : sunR iuintaR

Old Norse transcription:

: "Spiuti, Halfdan, þæiR ræisþu stæin þannsi æftiR Skarða, broður sinn. For austr heðan með Ingvari, a Særklandi liggR sunR ØyvindaR."

English translation:

: "Spjóti (and) Halfdan, they raised this stone in memory of Skarði, their brother. From here (he) travelled to the east with Ingvarr; in Serkland lies Eyvindr's son."

ö 179

The Gripsholm Runestone is probably the most famous of the Ingvar Runestones. It is located beside the drive of Gripsholm Castle together with another runestone from the 11th century, but their original location is unknown.The article " [http://www.raa.se/cms/extern/kulturarv/arkeologi_och_fornlamningar/gripsholm_runstenar_i_sverige.html Gripsholm] " on the site of the Swedish National Heritage Board, retrieved July 5, 2007.]

The runestone was discovered in the early 1820s by Wallin, the caretaker of the castle, and it was then forming the threshold of the cellar of the eastern tower of the castle, the so-called "theatre tower". It was under both side walls of the door and also covered with tar, which suggests that it had been part of another construction before being used as construction material for the castle. It would take an additional 100 years before the stone was retrieved from the castle and could be read in its entirety.

The inscription says that it is raised in memory of Haraldr, the brother of Ingvar, and he is believed to have died in the region of the Caspian Sea. A subject that has been vividly discussed is why the runestone is raised only after Haraldr and not after Ingvar, and the most widely accepted explanation is that Tóla was only Harald's mother and that the two men were only half-brothers. It is also possible that there were originally two stones of which one was in memory of Ingvar, but that Ingvar's stone has disappeared. A third possibility is that "brother" refers to brother-in-arms, blood-brother something similar, and this is a use of the word that appears on one of the runestones in Hällestad in Scania.

The second half of the inscription is in alliterative verse of the form fornyrðislag. The phrase to "feed the eagle" is a kenning which means "to kill enemies".

Latin transliteration:

: × tula : lit : raisa : stain : þinsa| |at : sun : sin : haralt : bruþur : inkuars : þaiR furu : trikila : fiari : at : kuli : auk : a:ustarla| |ar:ni : kafu : tuu : sunar:la : a sirk:lan:ti

Old Norse transcription:

: "Tola let ræisa stæin þennsa at sun sinn Harald, broður Ingvars. ÞæiR foru drængila fiarri at gulli ok austarla ærni gafu, dou sunnarla a Særklandi."

English translation:

: "Tóla had this stone raised in memory of her son Haraldr, Ingvarr's brother. They travelled valiantly far for gold, and in the east gave (food) to the eagle. (They) died in the south in Serkland."

ö 281

and it is located at the Strängnäs Cathedral.

Latin transliteration:

: (a)lui : lit * kira : kubl : ifti... ... burþur : ulfs * þiR * a(u)... ... (m)iþ * ikuari : o : sirk*la(t)...

Old Norse transcription:

: "vi let gærva kumbl æfti [R] ... broður Ulfs. ÞæiR au [str] /au [starla] ... með Ingvari a Særkland [i] ."

English translation:

: "-vé had the monument made in memory of ... Ulfr's brother. They in / to the east ... with Ingvarr in Serkland."

Gotland

G 216

This rune stone is located in a museum named Gotlands fornsal, and it is dated to the second half of the 11th century. It appears to recite the places visited by a well-travelled local merchant: Iceland, Serkland, Greece and Jerusalem (see also Greece Runestones).

Latin transliteration:

: : ormiga : ulfua-r : krikiaR : iaursaliR (:) islat : serklat

Old Norse transcription:

: "Ormika, Ulfhva [t] r(?), GrikkiaR, IorsaliR, Island, Særkland."

English translation:

: "Ormika, Ulfhvatr(?), Greece, Jerusalem, Iceland, Serkland."

Notes and references

ources and external links

*Rundata
* [http://www.sofi.se/servlet/GetDoc?meta_id=1472 "Nordisk runnamslexikon"] by Lena Peterson at the Swedish Institute for Linguistics and Heritage (Institutet för språk och folkminnen).
*Rundata
* [http://runicdictionary.nottingham.ac.uk/index.php An English Dictionary of Runic Inscriptions of the Younger Futhark, at the university of Nottingham]