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 County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Södermanland.

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] The inscription is classified as being carved 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...ʀ ...et * raisa * stain * at * þorbiorn * boroþur * sin * sun * þorstainʀ * i skytiki * kuþ * hiolbi * ant * ¶ * þorbiornaʀ *^[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

^ Larsson, Mats G. (1998). "Runic Inscriptions as a Source for the History of Settlement". In Düwel, Klaus (ed.). Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde. de Gruyter. p. 645. ISBN 3-11-015455-2.
^ Yonge, Charlotte Mary (1884). History of Christian Names. London: MacMillan & Company. pp. cxxx, 219, 301.
^ Peterson, Lena (2002). "Developments of Personal Names from Ancient Nordic to Old Nordic". In Bandle, Oskar; Elmevik, Lennart; et al. (eds.). The Nordic Languages: An International Handbook of the History of the North Germanic Languages. Vol. 1. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 745–753. ISBN 3-11-014876-5. p. 750.
^ ^a ^b ^c Project Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk - Rundata entry for Sö 84.

59°25′33″N 16°20′20″E / 59.4257°N 16.3388°E / 59.4257; 16.3388

[1] Larsson, Mats G. (1998). "Runic Inscriptions as a Source for the History of Settlement". In Düwel, Klaus (ed.). Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde. de Gruyter. p. 645. ISBN 3-11-015455-2.

[2] Yonge, Charlotte Mary (1884). History of Christian Names. London: MacMillan & Company. pp. cxxx, 219, 301.

[Peterson-3] Peterson, Lena (2002). "Developments of Personal Names from Ancient Nordic to Old Nordic". In Bandle, Oskar; Elmevik, Lennart; et al. (eds.). The Nordic Languages: An International Handbook of the History of the North Germanic Languages. Vol. 1. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 745–753. ISBN 3-11-014876-5. p. 750.

[Rundata-4] Project Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk - Rundata entry for Sö 84.

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