Birds-eye-view
June 16, 2021
In the same series:
The Runestone Styles
The Styles
The Stones
B-e-v
c. 1010 – 1050
Occurs on stones with type Pr 1 and Pr 2 ornamentation.
Characterisation of the style
As defined by Anne-Sofie Gräslund
Overall impression
Rather unresilient; the rune animals are often slightly angular, and the bow line pressed together.
Head
A snake’s head seen in bird’s-eye-view.
Eye
Two round, sometimes almost rhomboid pop-eyes, normally to a certain degree outside the contour of the head. The eyes may be connected by two parallel transverse lines.
Ear
Missing.
Mouth
Often suggested by a line, sometimes continuing into a string.
Feet
Missing.
Tail
Lightly rolled up, sometimes solely thickened at the end. Real roll-ups occur, but only half a round.
Additional snakes
Missing.
Layout
B-e-v carvings usually have one rune animal along the edge with union knot. Two rune animals also occur, sometimes with overcrossing.
Union Knot
Occur generally.
Cross
Very frequent, with elongated cross arm.
Sources
Danske Runeindskrifter, http://runer.ku.dk
Gräslund, Anne-Sofie, 2006. ‘Dating the Swedish Viking-Age rune stones on stylistic grounds’. Runes and their Secrets – Studies in runology.
The Scandinavian Runic-text Data Base.
Sveriges runinskrifter.
