Jonas Lau Markussen

Runestone U 644

The carvings of the stone are in the runestone style B-e-v (c. 1010-1050) pertaining to the Ringerike style and contemporary with Pr 1 and Pr 2.

The inscription is not signed.

The granite stone is c. 2,23 m tall and 1,24 m wide (across the centre of the cross). The decoration is 1,37 m tall and 1,06 m wide.

 

Runic inscription

First part of the rune text begins at the head end of the serpent to the right and stops just before it crosses the neck of the other serpent. Second part begins at the neck end of the serpent to the left. The third part is inscribed on the remaining part of the tail end of the serpent to the right.

 

Runes

[1] ᛅᚿ(ᚢ)(ᛁ)(ᛏ)ᚱ ᛬ ᛅᚢᚴ ᛫ ᚴᛁᛏᛁ ᛬ ᛅᚢᚴ ᛫ ᚴᛅᚱ ᛬ ᛅᚢᚴ ᛫ ᛒᛚᛁᛋᛁ ᛫ ᛆᚢᚴ ᛫ ᛏᛁᛅᚱᚠᚱ ᛫ [2] ᚦᛁᚱ ᛫ ᚱᛅᛁᛋᛏᚢ ᛫ ᛋᛏᛅᛁᚾ ᚦᛁᚾᛅ ᛫ ᛅᚠᛏᛁᛦ ᛫ ᚴᚢᚿᛚᛆᛁᚠ ᛫ ᚠᚯᚦᚢᚱ ᛋᛁᚿ ᛬ ᚼᛅᚾ ᛬ ᚠᛁᛚ ᛫ ᛅᚢᛋᛏᚱ ᛬ ᛘᛁᚦ ᛬ ᛁᚴᚢᛆᚱᛁ [3] ᚴᚢᚦ ᚼᛂᛅᛒᛁ ᚮᚾᛏᛁᚿᛁ

 

Transliteration

an(u)(i)(t)r : auk * kiti : auk * kar : auk * blisi * auk * tiarfr * þir * raistu * stain þina * aftiʀ * kunlaif * foþur : sin : han : fil * austr : miþ : ikuari kuþ heabi ontini

 

Old Norse

Andvettr ok 〈kiti〉 ok Karr ok Blesi ok DiarfR þæiR ræistu stæin þenna æftiR Gunnlæif, faður sinn. Hann fell austr með Ingvari. Guð hialpi andinni.

 

English

Andvéttr and and Kárr and Blesi and Djarfr, they raised this stone in memory of Gunnleifr, their father. He fell in the east with Ingvarr. May God help (his) spirit.

 

Notes

U 654 has also been raised by the five brothers who raised this stone.

U 643 has been raised after Andvéttr by his sons. The eldest of the two sons is named after Andvéttr’s father, Gunnleifr, and the other after Andvéttr’s brother, Kárr.

 

U 644 is one of c. 30 so-called Ingvar Runestones commemorating those who died following Ingvar the Far-Travelled on a viking expedition going far down the eastern trade routes of Europe.

Learn more about Ingvar and his fatal viking expedition here:

The Ingvar Expedition

 

———

Ekilla bro, Uppland, Sweden

U 644

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