The Saleby Runestone, designated as Vg 67 in the

Rundata The Scandinavian Runic-text Data Base ( sv, Samnordisk runtextdatabas) is a project involving the creation and maintenance of a database of runic inscriptions. The project's goal is to comprehensively catalog runestones in a machine-readable way f ...

catalog, was originally located in Saleby, Västra Götaland County,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, which is in the historic province of Västergötland, and is one of the few runestones that is raised in memory of a woman.

Description

The

runic inscription A runic inscription is an inscription made in one of the various runic alphabets. They generally contained practical information or memorials instead of magic or mythic stories. The body of runic inscriptions falls into the three categories of El ...

and is classified as being in runestone style RAK. This is the classification for inscriptions where the runic bands do not have any serpent or beast heads at the ends, and is considered to be the oldest style. The Saleby Runestone was discovered in 1794 within the walls of the church of Saleby and then moved to its current location near

Dagsnäs Castle Dagsnäs Castle is a castle in Sweden, located south of Skara at Lake Hornborga Lake Hornborga ( sv, Hornborgasjön) is a lake in Västergötland in Sweden, famous for its many birds, in particular the many crane (bird), cranes that stay here ...

. The stone is 2.7 metres in height and about 0.45 meters in width. The runic text states that the stone was raised by Freysteinn as a memorial to his wife Þóra, who is described as being "the best of her generation." The inscription ends with a curse on anyone who destroys the memorial. A similar curse also appears on the Glemminge stone in Sweden, and the Sønder Vinge runestone 2, the Tryggevælde Runestone and the

Glavendrup stone The Glavendrup stone, designated as DR 209 by Rundata, is a runestone on the island of Funen in Denmark and dates from the early 10th century. It contains Denmark's longest runic inscription and ends in a curse. Description The runestone fo ...

in Denmark. There is some disagreement regarding the translation of one of the words in these curses, ''rita''/''rata'', which has been translated as "wretch", "outcast", or "warlock". Warlock is the translation accepted by Rundata. However, the use of warlock is not that the destroyer would gain any magical powers, but be considered to be unnatural and a social outcast. The inscription also uses the Old Norse word ''kona'' or ''konu'', which translates as "woman", in two different ways, showing that the meaning of the word depended on its context. The first use of ''konu'' is to refer to Þóra as Freysteinn's wife. The second is in the phrase '' argʀi konu'' or "maleficent woman" in the curse, which appears to be related to the practice of

seiðr In Old Norse, (sometimes anglicized as ''seidhr'', ''seidh'', ''seidr'', ''seithr'', ''seith'', or ''seid'') was a type of magic which was practised in Norse society during the Late Scandinavian Iron Age. The practice of is believed to be a ...

, a type of sorcery. Runologist Erik Moltke has suggested that ''argʀi'' represents the most loathsome term the

runemaster A runemaster or runecarver is a specialist in making runestones. Description More than 100 names of runemasters are known from Viking Age Sweden with most of them from 11th-century eastern Svealand.The article ''Runristare'' in ''Nationalencyklo ...

could imagine calling someone. The idea that a warlock or sorcerer was an evil perversion predated the conversion of Scandinavia to Christianity. The text is carved in the younger futhark and contains one

bind rune A bind rune or bindrune ( is, bandrún) is a Migration Period Germanic typographic ligature, ligature of two or more Runic alphabet, runes. They are extremely rare in Viking Age inscriptions, but are common in earlier (Proto-Norse) and later (med ...

, which is a ligature of two runes. On Vg 67 the runemaster combined a u-rune with a k-rune in the word au=k ("and"). Both of the personal names in the inscription have names of Norse pagan gods as an element of the name. Freysteinn means " Freyr's Stone" and Þóra is a female diminutive form of Thor.

Inscription

Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters

:+ fraustin + karþi + kubl * þausi + aftiʀ + þuru + kunu + sino + su ... ...(s) + tutiʀ bast + miþ + altum + uarþi at + rata + au=k + at arkʀi '+ kunu + saʀ + ias haukui + krus + -... + uf + briutiProject Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk
-

entry for Vg 67.

Transcription into Old Norse

:''Frøystæinn gærði kumbl þausi æftiʀ Þoru, konu sina. Su a� ... dottiʀ, bæzt með aldum. Verði at ok at argʀi konu saʀ es haggvi krus, ... of briuti.''

Translation in English

:Freysteinn made these monuments in memory of Þóra, his wife. She was ... daughter, the best of her generation. May he who cuts to pieces ... breaks ... become a warlock and a maleficent woman ...

References

External links

A Swedish site with a picture of the runestone.A third Swedish site with a picture, and some information.
{{runestones Runestones in Västergötland Runestones with curses Runestones raised in memory of women