Södermanland Runic Inscription 84 Explained

thumb|250px|right|Runestone Sö 84 in Tumbo, Sweden.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

59.4257°N 16.3388°W

Notes and References

  1. Book: Larsson, Mats G. . Düwel . Klaus . Runic Inscriptions as a Source for the History of Settlement . Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . de Gruyter . 1998 . 645 . 3-11-015455-2.
  2. Book: Yonge, Charlotte Mary . Charlotte Mary Yonge . History of Christian Names . MacMillan & Company . 1884 . London . cxxx, 219, 301 .
  3. Book: Peterson, Lena . Bandle . Oskar . Elmevik . Lennart. Developments of Personal Names from Ancient Nordic to Old Nordic . The Nordic Languages: An International Handbook of the History of the North Germanic Languages . Walter de Gruyter . 2002 . 745–753 . 1 . 3-11-014876-5. etal. p. 750.
  4. http://www.nordiska.uu.se/forskn/samnord.htm Project Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk