Södermanland Runic Inscription 84

Södermanland Runic Inscription 84 or Sö 84 is the Rundata designation for a runic inscription on a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Tumbo, Södermanland, Sweden.

Contents

Description

This inscription is on a granite runestone is 1.8 meters in height and consists of a Christian cross surrounded by a runic serpent text band. The place name Skyttingi in the runic text, sometimes read as Skytiki, refers to the modern hamlet of Skyttinge located in Tumbo parish.[1] It is classified as being in runestone style KB, which is the designation used for runestones with crosses circled with a runic inscription.

The runic text indicates that the stone was raised as a memorial to someone's brother named Þorbjôrn and ends with a prayer for his soul. Although the memorial stone has a Christian cross on it, two of the personal names in the inscription include the Norse pagan god Thor as a theophoric name element. Þorbjôrn translates as "Thor's Bear" and Þorsteinn as "Thor's Stone."[2] The names in the Sö 84 inscription also reflect a common practice of that time in Scandinavia of repeating an element in a parent's name in the names of the children.[3] Here the Þor from the father's name, Þorsteinn, is repeated in the name of the son, Þorbjôrn, to show the family relationship.

Inscription

Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters

× a...R ...et * raisa * stain * at * þorbiorn * boroþur * sin * sun * þorstainR * i skytiki * kuþ * hiolbi * ant * ¶ * þorbiornaR *[4]

Transcription into Old Norse

... [l]ét reisa stein at Þorbjôrn, bróður sinn, son Þorsteins í Skyttingi. Guð hjalpi ônd Þorbjarnar.[4]

Translation in English

... had the stone raised in memory of Þorbjôrn, his brother, Þorsteinn of Skyttingi's son. May God help Þorbjôrn's spirit.[4]

References

  1. ^ Larsson, Mats G. (1998). "Runic Inscriptions as a Source for the History of Settlement". In Düwel, Klaus. Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde. de Gruyter. p. 645. ISBN 3-11-015455-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=KYqsisEVQHEC&pg=PA201#v=onepage&q=&f=false. 
  2. ^ Yonge, Charlotte Mary (1884). History of Christian Names. London: MacMillan & Company. pp. cxxx, 219, 301. http://books.google.com/books?id=hItbAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_navlinks_s#v=onepage&q=&f=false. 
  3. ^ Peterson, Lena (2002). "Developments of Personal Names from Ancient Nordic to Old Nordic". In Bandle, Oskar; Elmevik, Lennart et al. The Nordic Languages: An International Handbook of the History of the North Germanic Languages. 1. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 745–753. ISBN 3-11-014876-5. http://books.google.com/books?id=P6bMn9c6musC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_navlinks_s#v=onepage&q=&f=false.  p. 750.
  4. ^ a b c Project Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk - Rundata entry for Sö 84.