Hagby Runestones

The Hagby Runestones are four runestones that are raised on the courtyard of the farm Hagby in Uppland, Sweden. They are inscribed in Old Norse using the Younger Futhark and they date to the 11th century. Three of the runestones (U 153, U 154 and U 155) are raised in memory of Varangians who died somewhere in the East, probably in Kievan Rus'.

In 1929/30, they were discovered in the walls of the basement of the farm Litzby, which stood a few hundred metres from Hagby, but which burnt down in the 1880s.^[1] The runestones were burnt and fragmented but it was possible to piece 120 fragments together into the four runestones that are found on the courtyard of Hagby today.^[1]

There are additional runestones on the property of Hagby, and notably U 143, which is treated in the article Uppland Rune Inscriptions 101, 143 and 147, and U 148, which is treated in the article Jarlabanke Runestones.

This runestone is raised by a lady named Holmfríðr who had lost both her husband Björn and their son Sighvatr. The inscription is classified as being in runestone style Pr4, also known as the Urnes style. This runestone style is characterized by slim and stylized animals that are interwoven into tight patterns. The animals heads are typically seen in profile with slender almond-shaped eyes and upwardly curled appendages on the noses and the necks.

×

 

 

hulmfriʀ

Holmfríðr

Holmfriðr

×

 

 

-it

[l]ét

[l]et

--isa

[re]isa

[ræ]isa

×

 

 

istain

stein

stæin

×

 

 

þina

þenna

þenna

×

 

 

iftiʀ

eptir

æftiʀ

×

 

 

biarn

Bjǫrn,

Biorn,

×

 

 

buanta

bónda

boanda

isin

sinn,

sinn,

×

 

 

auk

ok

ok

×

 

 

iftiʀ

eptir

æftiʀ

×

 

 

isikat

Sighvat,

Sighvat,

(s)un

son

sun

isin

sinn.

sinn.

×

 

 

× hulmfriʀ × -it --isa × istain × þina × iftiʀ × biarn × buanta isin × auk × iftiʀ × isikat (s)un isin ×

{} Holmfríðr {} [l]ét [re]isa {} stein {} þenna {} eptir {} Bjǫrn, {} bónda sinn, {} ok {} eptir {} Sighvat, son sinn. {}

{} Holmfriðr {} [l]et [ræ]isa {} stæin {} þenna {} æftiʀ {} Biorn, {} boanda sinn, {} ok {} æftiʀ {} Sighvat, sun sinn. {}

Holmfríðr had this stone raised in memory of Bjǫrn, her husbandman and in memory of Sighvatr, her son. ^[2]

This runestone is raised by the same Sveinn and Ulfr as on the U 155, below, which is probably the other runestone mentioned in the inscription. They had them made in memory of their brothers Halfdan and Gunnarr who died somewhere in the East, as Varangians. It has been suggested that the words after east may be either "in Greece" or "in Garðar (Kiev)," but a fracture in the runestone prevents any actual reading of these runes.^[3] This inscription is classified as being in runestone style Pr3, which is also a Urnes style.

…[(u)](a)i-

[S]vei[nn]

[S]væi[nn]

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[(a)]uk

ok

ok

×

 

 

ulf-

Ulf[r]

Ulf[ʀ]

litu

létu

letu

×

 

 

raisa

reisa

ræisa

×

 

 

stai-(a)

stei[n]a

stæi[n]a

×

 

 

e(f)tiʀ

eptir

æftiʀ

×

 

 

hlftan

Halfdan

Halfdan

·

 

 

auk

ok

ok

·

 

 

eftiʀ

eptir

æftiʀ

×

 

 

kunar

Gunnar,

Gunnar,

×

 

 

bryþr

brœðr

brøðr

×

 

 

sina

sína.

sina.

×

 

 

þaiʀ

Þeir

Þæiʀ

·

 

 

antaþus

enduðust

ændaðus

×

 

 

aust…

aust[r]

aust[r]

…(u)m

…

…

…[(u)](a)i- × [(a)]uk × ulf- litu × raisa × stai-(a) × e(f)tiʀ × hlftan · auk · eftiʀ × kunar × bryþr × sina × þaiʀ · antaþus × aust… …(u)m

[S]vei[nn] {} ok {} Ulf[r] létu {} reisa {} stei[n]a {} eptir {} Halfdan {} ok {} eptir {} Gunnar, {} brœðr {} sína. {} Þeir {} enduðust {} aust[r] …

[S]væi[nn] {} ok {} Ulf[ʀ] letu {} ræisa {} stæi[n]a {} æftiʀ {} Halfdan {} ok {} æftiʀ {} Gunnar, {} brøðr {} sina. {} Þæiʀ {} ændaðus {} aust[r] …

Sveinn and Ulfr had the stones raised in memory of Halfdan and in memory of Gunnarr, their brothers. They met their end in the east … ^[4]

This runestone is also raised in memory of Varangians who died somewhere in the east, but these are different people from those in the previous runestone and in the following one. U 154 is classified as being carved in runestone style Pr3.

[þ(o)]…r

…

…

×

 

 

lit

lét

let

×

 

 

rai…

rei[sa]

ræi[sa]

…

…

…

…fast

…fast

…fast

·

 

 

auk

ok

ok

×

 

 

at

at

at

×

 

 

(k)aiʀbiarn

Geirbjǫrn,

Gæiʀbiorn,

×

 

 

bruþ-

brœð[r]

brøð[r]

…

…

…

…i(ʀ)

[þe]ir

[þæ]iʀ

·

 

 

(t)o

dóu

dou

a(u)s…

aus[tr].

aus[tr].

×

 

 

[þ(o)]…r × lit × rai… … …fast · auk × at × (k)aiʀbiarn × bruþ- … …i(ʀ) · (t)o a(u)s… ×

… {} lét {} rei[sa] … …fast {} ok {} at {} Geirbjǫrn, {} brœð[r] … [þe]ir {} dóu aus[tr]. {}

… {} let {} ræi[sa] … …fast {} ok {} at {} Gæiʀbiorn, {} brøð[r] … [þæ]iʀ {} dou aus[tr]. {}

… had raised … …-fastr and in memory of Geirbjǫrn, (their) brothers … They died in the east. ^[5]

This runestone is raised by the same Sveinn and Ulfr as U 153, above. This stone adds the names of Örn and Ragnfríðr, the parents of the four brothers.

…n

[Svei]nn

[Svæi]nn

×

 

 

auk

ok

ok

×

 

 

ulfr

Ulfr

Ulfʀ

litu

létu

letu

×

 

 

rai(s)(a)

reisa

ræisa

sta…

ste[ina

stæ[ina

…

eptir

æftiʀ

…

brœðr

brøðr

…na

sí]na.

si]na.

×

 

 

þaiʀ

Þeir

Þæiʀ

×

 

 

uaru

váru

vaʀu

×

 

 

suniʀ

synir

syniʀ

×

 

 

arnar

Arnar

Arnaʀ

×

 

 

auk

ok

ok

×

 

 

raknfriþar

Ragnfríðar.

Ragnfriðaʀ.

×

 

 

…n × auk × ulfr litu × rai(s)(a) sta… … … …na × þaiʀ × uaru × suniʀ × arnar × auk × raknfriþar ×

[Svei]nn {} ok {} Ulfr létu {} reisa ste[ina eptir brœðr sí]na. {} Þeir {} váru {} synir {} Arnar {} ok {} Ragnfríðar. {}

[Svæi]nn {} ok {} Ulfʀ letu {} ræisa stæ[ina æftiʀ brøðr si]na. {} Þæiʀ {} vaʀu {} syniʀ {} Arnaʀ {} ok {} Ragnfriðaʀ. {}

Sveinn and Ulfr had the stones raised in memory of their brothers. They were the sons of Ǫrn and Ragnfríðr. ^[6]

• List of runestones

• Rundata
• The article Hagby gård on the site of the local heritage society of Täby, retrieved June 27, 2007.