Runestone
Name	Stentoften Runestone
Rundata ID	DR 357
Country	Sweden
Region	Blekinge
City/Village	Stentoften
Produced	500-700AD
Runemaster	Unknown
Text - Native
Proto-Norse : <niuha>borumz <niuha>gestumz Haþuwulfz gaf j[ar], Hariwulfz ... ... haidiz runono, felh eka hedra niu habrumz, niu hangistumz Haþuwulfz gaf j[ar], Hariwulfz ... ... haidiz runono, felh eka hedra ginnurunoz. Hermalausaz argiu, Weladauþs, sa þat briutiþ.
Text - English
(To the) <niuha>dwellers (and) <niuha>guests Haþuwulfar gave ful year, Hariwulfar ... ... I, master of the runes(?) conceal here nine bucks, nine stallions, Haþuwulfar gave fruitful year, Hariwulfar ... ... I, master of the runes(?) conceal here runes of power. Incessantly (plagued by) maleficence, (doomed to) insidious death (is) he who this breaks.
Other resources
Runestones - Runic alphabet Runology - Runestone styles
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The Stentoften Runestone (DR 357 U) is a runestone which contains a curse in Proto-Norse that was discovered in Stentoften, Sweden.

Contents 1 Inscription 1.1 Transliteration 1.2 Transcription 1.3 Translation 2 Interpretation 3 History 4 See also 5 References 6 Sources 7 External links

[edit] Inscription

[edit] Transliteration

AP niuhAborumz ¶ niuhagestumz ¶ hAþuwolAfz gAf j ¶ hAriwolAfz (m)A--u snuh-e ¶ hidez runono fe(l)(A)h ekA hed¶erA

AQ niu hAborumz ¶ niu hagestumz ¶ hAþuwolAfz gAf j ¶ hAriwolAfz (m)A--u snuh-e ¶ hidez runono fe(l)(A)h ekA hed¶erA

B ginoronoz

C herAmAlAsAz ¶ ArAgeu we(l)Aduds| |sA þAt

D bAriutiþ^[1]

[edit] Transcription

AP <niuha>borumz <niuha>gestumz Haþuwulfz gaf j[ar], Hariwulfz ... ... haidiz runono, felh eka hedra

AQ niu habrumz, niu hangistumz Haþuwulfz gaf j[ar], Hariwulfz ... ... haidiz runono, felh eka hedra

B ginnurunoz.

C Hermalausaz argiu, Weladauþs, sa þat

D briutiþ.^[1]

[edit] Translation

This is the English translation provided by Rundata:

AP(To the) <niuha>dwellers (and) <niuha>guests Haþuwulfar gave ful year, Hariwulfar ... ... I, master of the runes(?) conceal here

AQ nine bucks, nine stallions, Haþuwulfar gave fruitful year, Hariwulfar ... ... I, master of the runes(?) conceal here

B runes of power.

C Incessantly (plagued by) maleficence, (doomed to) insidious death (is) he who this

D breaks.^[1]

[edit] Interpretation

In lines AP and AQ, in the phrase "gaf j" ("gave j"), the j-rune stands for its rune name jara meaning "harvest" or "bountiful or fruitful year."^[2] One author suggests that line AQ is describing an animal sacrifice in return for a good harvest as part of a fertility ritual.^[3]

[edit] History

The Stentoften runestone was discovered in 1823 by the dean O. Hammer. It was lying down with the inscription facing downwards, surrounded by five sharp larger stones forming a pentagon or a pentagram. Consequently, the stone has been part of a larger monument like the Björketorp Runestone further east. In 1864, the runestone was moved into the church of Sölvesborg.

Most scholars date the inscription to the 7th century and it is carved with a type of runes that form an intermediate version between the Elder Futhark and the Younger Futhark. A characteristic example of this is the a-rune which has the same form as the h-rune of the younger futhark. This is the rune that is transliterated with A. The k-rune, which looks like a Y is a transition form between and in the two futharks. There are quite few intermediary inscriptions like this one. Three more are known from Blekinge, i.e. the Björketorp Runestone, the Istaby Runestone and the Gummarp Runestone, which were moved to Copenhagen and lost in the Copenhagen Fire of 1728.

The Stentoften, Istaby Runestone and Gummarp Runestone inscriptions can be identified with the same clan through the names that are mentioned on them,^[4] and the names are typical for chieftains. The Björketorp Runestone lacks names and is raised some tens of kilometers from the others. However, it is beyond doubt that the Björketorp runestone is connected to them, because in addition to the special runic forms, the same message is given on the Stentoften Runestone. It is obvious that these runestones are not carved by the same man, and so it appears that the runestones reflects a specific runic tradition in the Blekinge area during the 7th century.

[edit] See also

• Runic magic

[edit] References

[edit] Sources

• Jacobsen, Lis & Moltke, Erik: Danmarks Runeindskrifter. 3rd tome. 1941.
• Looijenga, Tineke (2003). Texts & Contexts of the Oldest Runic Inscriptions. Leiden: Koninklijke Brill NV. ISBN 90-04-12396-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=-edm1fMPbXwC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_navlinks_s#v=onepage&q=&f=false. 
• MacLeod, Mindy; Mees, Bernard (2006). Runic Amulets and Magic Objects. Boydell Press. ISBN 1-84383-205-4. http://books.google.com/books?id=hx7UigqsTKoC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_navlinks_s#v=onepage&q=&f=false. 
• Thorngren, Karl-Gösta: Runstenar i Blekinge. Blekingeboken 1942. pp. 63-96.
• Rundata

[edit] External links

• The Runestones of Sölvesborg
• Joint Nordic database for runic inscriptions