Day 4 - South of lake Mälaren

Sö 179 - Gripsholm

Jun 20, 2021

Gripsholm, Södermanland, Sweden

This is one of our most famous runestones. It stands outside the Gripsholm castle in the town Mariefred by the lake Mälaren.

It was discovered in 1827 and at the time it was covered in tar and used as a doorstep inside the Gripsholm castle.

The runestone was raised in memory of Harald, the brother of Ingvar. It is however unclear if it means brothers in arms, or if they were half brothers.

The phrase “feeding the eagle” is a “kenning”, a poetic figure of speech used in Old Norse, and means that they killed people and left their corpses to be fed on by eagles.

Inscription

ᛏᚢᛚᛅ : ᛚᛁᛏ : ᚱᛅᛁᛋᛅ : ᛋᛏᛅᛁᚾ : ᚦᛁᚾᛋ ᛅᛏ : ᛋᚢᚾ : ᛋᛁᚾ : ᚼᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏ : ᛒᚱᚢᚦᚢᚱ : ᛁᚾᚴᚢᛅᚱᛋ : ᚦᛅᛁᛦ : ᚠᚢᚱᚢ : ᛏᚱᛁᚴᛁᛚᛅ : ᚠᛁᛅᚱᛁ : ᛅᛏ : ᚴᚢᛚᛁ : ᛅᚢᚴ : ᛅ:ᚢᛋᛏᛅᚱᛚᛅᚱ ᚾᛁ : ᚴᛅᚠᚢ : ᛏᚢᚢ : ᛋᚢᚾᛅᚱ:ᛚᛅ : ᛅᛋᛁᚱᚴ:ᛚᛅᚾ:ᛏᛁ

Latin transliteration

× tula : lit : raisa : stain : þinsa| |at : sun : sin : haralt : bruþur : inkuars : þaiʀ furu : trikila : fiari : at : kuli : auk : a:ustarla| |ar:ni : kafu : tuu : sunar:la : a sirk:lan:ti

Old norse transcription

Tóla lét reisa stein þenna at son sinn Harald, bróður Ingvars. Þeir fóru drengila fjarri at gulli ok austarla erni gáfu, dóu sunnarla á Serklandi.

Translation

“Tola had this stone raised in memory of her son Harald, Ingvar’s brother. They travelled valiantly far for gold, and in the east fed the eagle. They died in the south in Serkland.”

Location

Map showing where the runestone Sö 179 is

Photos

References