The RUNES thread

[Midas]

Ok people!

Since I am in Sweden now, I had to find a new sport for myself; I am runing around taking photos and recording rune-stones!

I will be posting every single rune here and post any intresting information about runes here.

[Midas]

The first picture is a closer look on how runes can look like. Pretty much like a Greco-Latin alphabet, but still quite different. Below you see the name BYSIR from a rune near "Skokloster", Stockholm district.



The above picture is from the Rune below, which context I will analyse further down. It is dated to 1000 A.D and is quite easily read and understood.



The text on the stone goes like this

Originally Posted by Biatr & Company

Biatr ok Bysir ok Kylfa þæir letu ræisa stæin þenna æftiR Assur, broðer sinn. þæisi varu Vikulfs arfar.

If you know Swedish, Norwegian or Danish it is not a problem to read. However, even English speakers should be able to guess pretty much of the content!

Originally Posted by English Translation

Biatr and Bysir and Kylfa, they let this stone to be raised for Assur, his brother. They were Vikulfs heirs.

Next rune is from the county of Skokloster in the same area and is dated around 1000 A.D again.



The text is not very clear and I don't have full text in old Norse, but the runes say.

Originally Posted by Fot's rune

Andvätt and Gullev and Gunnar and Horse and Rolev let this stone to be raised for Tord, their father. Fot carved the stone.

[čarević]

Very nice! Bring more! That stones seems to be big, how tall are? And would be good to know how the norses were moving those huge pieces of rock, where do they cutted them from, and why they moved them to that specific places? Besides, what do they used to draw the runes? the substance looks burgundy reddish.

[Midas]

Originally Posted by čarević

Very nice! Bring more! That stones seems to be big, how tall are? And would be good to know how the norses were moving those huge pieces of rock, where do they cutted them from, and why they moved them to that specific places? Besides, what do they used to draw the runes? the substance looks burgundy reddish.

Sorry for the late response.

Those runes are about 2m tall. I guess they were just transfering them with wagons and horses. Scandinavia is full of huge rocks because the ice age glaciers. You can find huge blocks pretty much everywhere. I am not sure if the runes were scratched into the stone, or if they had predefined metal templates of letters that they were shape-hammering on them. The substance is probably earthly colours and are chemically "complete"; that is to say, their chemical structure has undergone a long process of changes, so that the sun does not affect the colour.

Next stop is a rune near my house. I might be able to take some photos this weekend. It was raised by the family of some vikings who died on duty, while being in Greece. This is an intresting fact about vikings...Although Greece was back then (1000 AD) part of the Eastern Roman empire, the nordics were still using the name Greece.

[Midas]

Ok, the rune below is located in Järvafältet, Stockholm. It is dated around 1000 A.D.

The rune is raised for the memory of Ingas sons Ärnmund and Ingalund. She inherited (the land) from them and when she died her brothers inherited (the land) from her. They (Ärnmund and Ingalund) died in Greece.



Most probably, Inga was afraid that if she dies her husbands family will try to get the land she inherited. She wanted her brothers to have it, so this rune is a declaration of ownership. As for the sons who died in Greece, it was a usual phenomenon for that time. Many "Vikings" left to serve the Byzantine army.

[okamido]

I'd like to see some info on the hooked X rune.

[Petyo]

Originally Posted by Midas

I am not sure if the runes were scratched into the stone, or if they had predefined metal templates of letters that they were shape-hammering on them.

Maybe they had the pigmentat substance in liquid form which could be poured in the carving before the stelas were erected?
I actually thought the red colors were applied in modern times so the inscriptions can be visible for tourists.

Midas, did you learn anything about the history of the stelas themselves? I mean, have they always been standing on the places where you took the photos or have they been moved, forgotten or burried and later found?

[Midas]

Originally Posted by okamido

I'd like to see some info on the hooked X rune.

[Midas]

Originally Posted by Petyo

Maybe they had the pigmentat substance in liquid form which could be poured in the carving before the stelas were erected?
I actually thought the red colors were applied in modern times so the inscriptions can be visible for tourists.

Midas, did you learn anything about the history of the stelas themselves? I mean, have they always been standing on the places where you took the photos or have they been moved, forgotten or burried and later found?

Well, I can't be sure for the first. However, in ancient Greek and Roman sites, you might see inscriptions were the pigment is there on some letters. I think it is still there from old times.

As for the runes, they have been standing there. Besides, they are all "Christian", so no reason to hide/burry them. They're not standing always in places were you can easily go without walking a bit. Many runes give references to the place they stand, so we're sure they were not moved from another place.

[Enkidu]

My understanding is that the original red coloring of the letters had worn out, since most of the stones had been standing centuries exposed to elements of nature. So the coloring on most of the stones is a modern restoration.