The
Sparlösa Runestone in
Västergötland' is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....
is the second most famous Swedish runestone after the
Rök RunestoneThe Rök Runestone is one of the most famous runestones, featuring the longest known runic inscription in stone. It can now be seen by the church in Rök , Östergötland, Sweden...
. It was discovered in 1669 in the southern wall of the church of Sparlösa.
The runestone is famous for its depictions and its tantalizing and mysterious references to a great battle, the names
Eric and
Alrik, the
father who resided in UppsalaGamla Uppsala is a parish and a village outside Uppsala in Sweden. It had 16,231 inhabitants in 1991.As early as the 3rd century AD and the 4th century AD and onwards, it was an important religious, economic and political centre...
and the text
descending from the gods.
The stone provides an early attestation of the place name
Uppsala, and the two personal names Eric ("complete ruler") and Alrik ("everyone's ruler") are both royal names, known to have been worn by the semi-legendary Swedish
YnglingThe Ynglings were the oldest known Scandinavian dynasty. It can refer to the following clans:*The Scylfings , the semi-legendary royal Swedish clan during the Age of Migrations, with kings such as Eadgils, Onela and Ohthere...
dynasty at Uppsala.
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The
Sparlösa Runestone in
Västergötland' is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....
is the second most famous Swedish runestone after the
Rök RunestoneThe Rök Runestone is one of the most famous runestones, featuring the longest known runic inscription in stone. It can now be seen by the church in Rök , Östergötland, Sweden...
. It was discovered in 1669 in the southern wall of the church of Sparlösa.
The runestone is famous for its depictions and its tantalizing and mysterious references to a great battle, the names
Eric and
Alrik, the
father who resided in UppsalaGamla Uppsala is a parish and a village outside Uppsala in Sweden. It had 16,231 inhabitants in 1991.As early as the 3rd century AD and the 4th century AD and onwards, it was an important religious, economic and political centre...
and the text
descending from the gods.
The stone provides an early attestation of the place name
Uppsala, and the two personal names Eric ("complete ruler") and Alrik ("everyone's ruler") are both royal names, known to have been worn by the semi-legendary Swedish
YnglingThe Ynglings were the oldest known Scandinavian dynasty. It can refer to the following clans:*The Scylfings , the semi-legendary royal Swedish clan during the Age of Migrations, with kings such as Eadgils, Onela and Ohthere...
dynasty at Uppsala. Moreover, the mention of a great battle is suggestive of the equally semi-legendary
Swedish-Geatish warsThe Swedish-Geatish wars refer to semi-legendary 6th century battles between Swedes and Geats that are described in the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf...
that are mentioned in
BeowulfBeowulf is an Old English heroic epic poem of unknown authorship, dating as recorded in the Nowell Codex manuscript from between the 8th and the early 11th century, set in Denmark and Sweden...
.
The stone is 1.77 metres tall and it is dated to c. 800, but it has a probably younger line added to it saying
Gisli made this memorial after Gunnar, his brother. The dating is based on the style of the images, such as a ship, which suggest the 8th century, like similar images from
Gotland' is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, it makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area. The region also includes the small islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the north, and the tiny...
. However, a sail on the ship suggests a later dating than the 8th century.
Transliteration of the runes:
- A a¤iuls kaf ÷ airikis sunR kaf alrik- -
- B ---t---la kaf rau- at kialt(i) * ...a sa- faþiR ubsal faþiR suaþ a-a-u--ba ...-omas notu auk takaR ÷ aslriku lu--R ukþ-t a(i)u(i)sl
- C ...s---n(u)(R)-a-- þat sikmar aiti makuR airikis makin(i)aru þuno * aft aiuis uk raþ runoR þaR raki-ukutu iu þar suaþ aliriku lu(b)u faþi '
- D ui(u)-am ...--ukrþsar(s)k(s)nuibin- ---kunR(u)k(l)ius-- ...iu
- E : kisli : karþi : iftiR : kunar : bruþur [:] kubl : þisi
Transscription:
- A Æivisl gaf, Æiriks sunR, gaf Alrik[R] ...
- B ... gaf at gialdi [Þ]a(?) sa[t] faðiR Upsal(?), faðiR svað ... ... nætR ok dagaR. AlrikR R> ugð[i]t(?) Æivisl
- C ... þat Sigmarr hæiti maguR Æiriks. Mæginiaru(?) <þuno> aft Æivisl. Ok rað runaR þaR rægi[n]kundu þar, svað AlrikR faði.
- D ... ... ...
- E Gisli gærði æftiR Gunnar, broður, kumbl þessi.
Translation (from
http://web.telia.com/~u31109390/runes_and_ruins/sparlosa.htm):
- A Eyvísl(?), Eiríkr's son gave, Alríkr gave...
- B ... gave ... as payment. Then(?) the father sat(?) (in) Uppsala(?), the father that ... ... nights and days. Alríkr feared(?) not Eyvísl(?).
- C ... that Eiríkr's boy is called Sigmarr/celebrated-for-victories. Mighty battle(?) ... in memory of Eyvísl(?). And interpret the runes of divine origin there... , that Alríkr coloured.
- D ... ... ...
- E Gísli made this monument in memory of Gunnarr, (his) brother.
Sources and external links