The Rydsgård Runestone, designated as DR 277 under

Rundata The Scandinavian Runic-text Database () is a project involving the creation and maintenance of a database of transliterated runic inscriptions. The project's goal is to comprehensively catalog runestones in a machine-readable way for future resea ...

, is located in the woods just outside the park at Rydsgård manor, which is near

Skurup Skurup is a locality and the seat of Skurup Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to ...

Skåne Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Description

The Rydsgård Runestone is classified as being carved in

runestone style :''The term "runestone style" in the singular may refer to the Urnes style.'' The style or design of runestones varied during the Viking Age. The early runestones were simple in design, but towards the end of the runestone era they became increas ...

RAK. Similar to the

Velanda Runestone The Velanda Runestone (), designated as Vg 150 in the Rundata catalog, is a runestone dated to the late tenth century or the early eleventh century that is located in the village of Velanda, Trollhättan Municipality, Västra Götaland County, S ...

, the inscription describes the deceased as being a good '' þegn'', or thegn. The exact role of thegns in southern Sweden is a matter of debate, but the most common view is that these persons constituted a Nordic elite somehow connected to Danish power. It is thought that thegn-stones point to areas where they came from. From such power centres they could be sent forth to rule border areas in so-called ''tegnebyar''.Löfving, Carl (2001). ''Gothia som Dansk/Engelskt Skattland: Ett Exempel på Heterarki Omkring år 1000'' (doctoral dissertation). Göteborg.

Inscription

Transliteration into Latin characters

:× kata × karþi × kuml × þausi × iftiʀ × suin × baluks ¶ sun × bunta × sin × saʀ × uas × þiakna × furstrProject Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk
-

Transcription into Old Norse

:Káta gerði kuml þessi eptir Svein Bôllungs son, bónda sinn. Sá var þegna fyrstr.

Translation in English

:Káta made this monument in memory of Sveinn Bôllungr's son, her husbandman. He was first among þegns.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rydsgard Runestone Runestones in Scania 10th-century inscriptions