The
Sigurd stones form a group of seven or eight runestones and one image stone that depict imagery from the legend of
SigurdSigurd is a legendary hero of Norse mythology, as well as the central character in the Völsunga saga. The earliest extant representations for his legend come in pictorial form from seven runestones in Sweden and most notably the Ramsund carving Sigurd (Old Norse: Sigurðr) is a legendary hero of...
the dragon slayer. They were made during the
Viking AgeViking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the eighth to eleventh centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
and they constitute the earliest Norse representations of the matter of the
NibelungenliedThe Nibelungenlied, translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem in Middle High German. The story tells of dragon-slayer Siegfried at the court of the Burgundians, how he was murdered, and of his wife Kriemhild's revenge....
and the Sigurd legends in the
Poetic EddaThe Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. Along with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends.Codex Regius was written in the...
, the
Prose EddaThe Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda or simply Edda, is an Old Norse language Icelandic collection of four sections interspersed with excerpts from earlier skaldic and Eddic poetry containing tales from Norse mythology...
and the
Völsunga sagaThe Völsunga saga is a legendary saga, a late 13th century Icelandic prose rendition of the origin and decline of the Volsung clan . It is largely based on epic poetry. The earliest known pictorial representation of this tradition is the Ramsund carving, Sweden, which was created c...
.
This runestone is in style Pr2. It was found in Drävle, but it was moved to the courtyard of the
manor houseA manor house or fortified manor-house is a country house, which has historically formed the administrative centre of a manor , the lowest unit of territorial organization in the feudal system...
Göksbo in the vicinity where it is presently raised.
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The
Sigurd stones form a group of seven or eight runestones and one image stone that depict imagery from the legend of
SigurdSigurd is a legendary hero of Norse mythology, as well as the central character in the Völsunga saga. The earliest extant representations for his legend come in pictorial form from seven runestones in Sweden and most notably the Ramsund carving Sigurd (Old Norse: Sigurðr) is a legendary hero of...
the dragon slayer. They were made during the
Viking AgeViking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the eighth to eleventh centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
and they constitute the earliest Norse representations of the matter of the
NibelungenliedThe Nibelungenlied, translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem in Middle High German. The story tells of dragon-slayer Siegfried at the court of the Burgundians, how he was murdered, and of his wife Kriemhild's revenge....
and the Sigurd legends in the
Poetic EddaThe Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. Along with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends.Codex Regius was written in the...
, the
Prose EddaThe Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda or simply Edda, is an Old Norse language Icelandic collection of four sections interspersed with excerpts from earlier skaldic and Eddic poetry containing tales from Norse mythology...
and the
Völsunga sagaThe Völsunga saga is a legendary saga, a late 13th century Icelandic prose rendition of the origin and decline of the Volsung clan . It is largely based on epic poetry. The earliest known pictorial representation of this tradition is the Ramsund carving, Sweden, which was created c...
.
U 1163
This runestone is in style Pr2. It was found in Drävle, but it was moved to the courtyard of the
manor houseA manor house or fortified manor-house is a country house, which has historically formed the administrative centre of a manor , the lowest unit of territorial organization in the feudal system...
Göksbo in the vicinity where it is presently raised. It has an image of Sigurd who thrusts his sword through the serpent, and the dwarf
AndvariIn Norse mythology, Andvari is a dwarf who lives underneath a waterfall and has the power to change himself into a fish at will. Andvari had a magical ring Andvarinaut, which helped him become wealthy....
, as well as the
ValkyrieIn Norse mythology, a valkyrie is one of a host of female figures who decide who will die in battle. The valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin, where the deceased warriors become einherjar...
SigrdrífaIn Norse mythology, Sigrdrífa is a valkyrie. She appears in Sigrdrífumál as the mentor of Sigurd. In the Poetic Edda she is identified with Brynhildr...
who gives Sigurd a
drinking hornA drinking horn is the horn of a bovid used as a drinking vessel. Drinking horns are known from Classical Antiquity, and remained in use for ceremonial purposes throughout the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period in some parts of Europe, notably in the Germanic and Celtic ones, and also in...
.
Latin transliteration:
- uiþbiurn × ok : karlunkr : ok × erinker : ok × nas(i) × litu × risa × stii × þina × eftir × eriibiun × f[aþu]r × sii × snelan
Old Norse transcription:
- Viðbiorn ok KarlungR ok ÆringæiRR/Æringærðr ok Nasi/Næsi letu ræisa stæin þenna æftiR Ærinbiorn, faður sinn sniallan.
English translation:
- "Viðbjôrn and Karlungr and Eringeirr/Eringerðr and Nasi/Nesi had this stone raised in memory of Erinbjôrn, their able father."
U 1175
This runestone is style Pr2 and it is located in Stora Ramsjö. It belongs to the nonsensical runestones that do not contain any runes, only runelike signs. The ornamentation is held to be an inferior copy of U 1163.
Latin transliteration:
- ...
Old Norse transcription:
- ...
English translation:
- "..."
Sö 40
This runestone is located on the cemetery of the church of Västerljung, but it was originally found in the foundation of the church tower. It is in style Pr2 and it was made by the
runemasterA runemaster or runecarver is a specialist in making runestones.Most early medieval Scandinavians were probably literate in runes, and most people probably carved messages on pieces of bone and wood. However, it was difficult to make runestones, and in order to master it you also needed to be a...
Skamhals. It depicts
GunnarGunther is the German name of a semi-legendary king of Burgundy of the early 5th century...
playing the harp in the
snake pitSnake pits were a historical European means of imposing capital punishment. Convicts were cast into a deep pit containing venomous snakes, such as vipers. They died from snake venom poisoning as the irritated snakes attacked them...
.
Latin transliteration:
- haunefR + raisti * at * kaiRmar * faþur * sin + haa * iR intaþr * o * þiusti * skamals * hiak * runaR þaRsi +
Old Norse transcription:
- HonæfR ræisti at GæiRmar, faður sinn. Hann eR ændaðr a Þiusti. Skammhals hiogg runaR þaRsi.
English translation:
- "Hónefr raised (the stone) in memory of Geirmarr, his father. He met his end in Þjústr
thumb|300px|Tjust has a rich archipelago on the [[Baltic Sea]].Tjust was one of the small lands of Småland, Sweden. It was divided into the hundreds of Tjust Northern Hundred and Tjust Southern Hundred. It corresponds to Västervik Municipality and the southern part of Valdemarsvik Municipality.
. Skammhals cut these runes."
Sö 101
The Ramsund carving is not quite a runestone as it is not carved into a stone, but into a flat rock close to RamsundRamsund can mean several things.Among them are:*Ramsund carving - a form of runic stone carvings*Ramsund naval base - a Royal Norwegian Navy base*Ramsund, Norway - a town in Norway*Ramsund, Sweden - a place name in Eskilstuna Municipality, Sweden...
, Eskilstuna MunicipalityEskilstuna Municipality is a municipality in Södermanland County in southeast Sweden, between the lakes Mälaren and Hjälmaren...
, Södermanland', sometimes referred to under its Latin form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a historical province or landskap on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanland and Uppland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea.In Swedish, the province name is...
, SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
. It is believed to have been carved around year 1000. It is generally considered an important piece of Norse artNorse art is a blanket term for the artistic style in Scandinavia during the Germanic Iron Age, the Viking Age, and sometimes even used when describing objects from the Nordic Bronze Age. Art from the Viking Age is also known as "Viking Art"...
in runestone style Pr1.
The Ramsund carving in SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
depicts 1) how Sigurd is sitting naked in front of the fire preparing the dragon heart, from FafnirIn Norse mythology, Fáfnir or Frænir was a son of the dwarf king Hreidmar and brother of Regin and Ótr. In the Volsunga saga, Fáfnir was a dwarf gifted with a powerful arm and fearless soul. He guarded his father's house of glittering gold and flashing gems...
, for his foster-father ReginReginn, often Anglicized as Regin, in Norse mythology, was the son of Hreiðmarr and foster father of Sigurd. Regin had all wisdom and deftness of hand. Regin built a house of glittering gold and flashing gems for his father. Regin and his brother, Fafnir, killed Hreidmar for the cursed gold he had...
, who is FafnirIn Norse mythology, Fáfnir or Frænir was a son of the dwarf king Hreidmar and brother of Regin and Ótr. In the Volsunga saga, Fáfnir was a dwarf gifted with a powerful arm and fearless soul. He guarded his father's house of glittering gold and flashing gems...
's brother. The heart is not finished yet, and when Sigurd touches it, he burns himself and sticks his finger into his mouth. As he has tasted dragon blood, he starts to understand the birds' song. 2) The birds say that Regin will not keep his promise of reconciliation and will try to kill Sigurd, which causes Sigurd to cut off Regin's head. 3) Regin is dead beside his own head, his smithing tools with which he reforged Sigurd's sword GramThe gram , ; symbol g, is a unit of mass.Originally defined as "the absolute weight of a volume of pure water equal to the cube of the hundredth part of a metre, and at the temperature of melting ice" , a gram is now defined as one one-thousandth of the SI base unit, the kilogram, or...
are scattered around him, and 4) Regin's horse is laden with the dragon's treasure. 5) is the previous event when Sigurd killed Fafnir, and 6) shows OtrOtr or OTR may refer to:* Ótr, a dwarf in Norse mythology* Otr, the abbreviation for the orchid genus Otaara* Coto 47 Airport , an airport that serves Coto 47, Costa RicaOTR is an acronym for:...
from the saga's beginning.
The writing is ambiguous, but one interpretation of the persons mentioned in the inscription, based on inscriptions on other runestones found nearby, is that Sigriþr (a woman) was the wife of Sigröd who has died. Holmgeirr is her father in law. Alrikr, son of Sigriþr, erected another stone for his father, named Spjut, so while Alrikr is the son of Sigriþr, he was not the son of Sigruþr. Alternatively, Holmgeirr is Sigriþr's second husband and Sigröd (but not Alrikr) is their son.
The inspiration for using the legend of Sigurd for the pictorial decoration was probably the close similarity of the names Sigurd (Sigurðr in Old Norse) and Sigröd..
It is raised by the same aristocratic family as the Bro Runestone and the Kjula Runestone.
Latin transliteration:
- siriþr : kiarþi : bur : þosi : muþiR : alriks : tutiR : urms : fur * salu : hulmkirs : faþur : sukruþar buata * sis *
Old Norse transcription:
- Sigriðr gærði bro þasi, moðiR Alriks, dottiR Orms, for salu HolmgæiRs, faður SigrøðaR, boanda sins.
English translation:
- "Sigríðr, Alríkr's mother, Ormr's daughter, made this bridge for the soul of Holmgeirr, father of Sigrøðr, her husbandman."
Sö 327
This runestone in style Pr1-Pr2 is located at Gök. It is from the same time as the Ramsund carving and it uses the same imagery, but a Christian cross has been added and the images are combined in a way that completely distorts the internal logic of events. The runemasterA runemaster or runecarver is a specialist in making runestones.Most early medieval Scandinavians were probably literate in runes, and most people probably carved messages on pieces of bone and wood. However, it was difficult to make runestones, and in order to master it you also needed to be a...
has either not understood the underlying myth, or he consciously distorted its representation. Whatever the reason may have been, the Gök stone illustrates how the pagan heroic mythos was going towards its dissolution, during the introduction of Christianity.
It has never been satisfactorily transcribed nor translated.
Latin transliteration:
- ... (i)uraRi : kaum : isaio : raisti : stai : ain : þansi : at : : þuaR : fauþr : sloþn : kbrat : sin faþu... ul(i) * hano : msi +
Old Norse transcription:
- ...
English translation:
- "..."
Gs 2
This runestone in style Pr2 is at the church of Österfärnebo. It is not listed as a Sigurd runestone by the Rundata project, and only the bottom part of it remains.
Latin transliteration:
- [ily]iki : ok : f[uluiki × ok : þurkair ... ...- × sin × snilan] : kuþ ilubi on(t)[a]
Old Norse transcription:
- Illugi ok Fullugi ok ÞorgæiRR ... ... sinn sniallan. Guð hialpi anda.
English translation:
- "Illugi and Fullugi and Þorgeirr ... their able ... May God help (his) spirit."
Gs 9
This runestone is found at the church of Årsunda. It shows Sigurd on the top of the runestone.
Latin transliteration:
- (i)nu-r : sun : r[u]þ[u](r) at × [uili](t)... ...[Ris:]t eftir : þurker : bruþu[r : sin : ok : kyþe=lfi : muþur : sina : uk] : eft[i]R : [a]sbiorn : o[k : o]ifuþ
Old Norse transcription:
- Anun[d]r(?), sunn (?) at ... æftiR ÞorgæiR, broður sinn, ok Guðælfi, moður sina ok æftiR Asbiorn ok .
English translation:
- "Ônundr(?), 's son, in memory of ... ... in memory of Þorgeirr, his brother and Guðelfr, his mother, and in memory of Ásbjôrn and "
Gs 19
This runestone which is tentatively categorized as style Pr2 is located at the church of OckelboOckelbo is a locality and the seat of Ockelbo Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 2,709 inhabitants in 2005.The name Ockelbo, spelt "De oklabo" in 1314, contains an old marine name *Ukle, referring to modern- day lake Bysjön. The name derives from the old Swedish word "ukla" meaning swell,...
. The original runestone was found inside the church but it was destroyed together with the church in a fire. The present runestone is a copy made after drawings and it is raised outside the church. The illustrations include matter from the Sigurd legends.
Latin transliteration:
- [blesa × lit × raisa × stain×kumbl × þesa × fa(i)(k)(r)(n) × ef(t)ir × sun sin × suar×aufþa × fr(i)þelfr × u-r × muþir × ons × siionum × kan : inuart : þisa × bhum : arn : (i)omuan sun : (m)(i)e(k)]
Old Norse transcription:
- Blæsa let ræisa stæinkumbl þessa fagru æftiR sun sinn Svarthaufða. FriðælfR v[a]R moðiR hans <þisa> sun .
English translation:
- "Blesa had these fair stone-monuments raised in memory of his son Svarthôfði. Friðelfr was his mother. ... "
Bo NIYR;3
This baptismal font from c. 1100 is made in slate. It was discovered in pieces on the cemetery of Norum in 1847. It shows Gunnar in the snake pit. The inscription ends with five identical bind runeA bind rune is a ligature of two or more runes. They are extremely rare in Viking Age inscription, but are common in pre-Viking Age and in post-Viking Age inscriptions....
s of which the last two are mirrored.
- svæn : kærðe
Old Norse transcription:
- Sveinn gerði m[ik](?).
English translation:
- "Sveinn made me(?)."
Hunninge Image Stone
The Hunninge image stone was found on Gotland and it illustrates imagery from the tradition of the Nibelungenliend. On the top of the stone, there is a man carrying a ring, who may be SigurdSigurd is a legendary hero of Norse mythology, as well as the central character in the Völsunga saga. The earliest extant representations for his legend come in pictorial form from seven runestones in Sweden and most notably the Ramsund carving Sigurd (Old Norse: Sigurðr) is a legendary hero of...
or perhaps the messenger Knéfrøðr. On the bottom left, the scene depicts a woman watching the snake pit where Gunnar is lying
Sources and external links
External links