This is the runestone U 778 that is placed in the inner wall of the church porch of Svinnegarn church near Enköping. In the 17th century it was found used as a threshold stone in the main entrance to the church, with most of the inscription hidden under the doorjamb. In 1853-1854 it was removed from the church door and mounted into the wall of the church porch instead by Dybeck.
The stone has all four common runic formulas, it starts with a memorial formula about Banki/Bagge, followed by a biographical formula, a prayer and ends with a carver signature. The runes are younger futhark long branch runes. The /s/ in sun has a chair form, instead of the standard form that is used for all other /s/ runes in the inscription. This might be a mistake, since the lower part of the stem is thinner and shallower than the rest of the lines.
Poor Banki/Bagge was part of the catastrophic viking raid led by Ingvar in 1041, that is described in the Icelandic saga Yngvarr saga víðförla. The stone is one of at least 30 runestones describing this raid that ended so disastrou
... Show more...This is the runestone U 778 that is placed in the inner wall of the church porch of Svinnegarn church near Enköping. In the 17th century it was found used as a threshold stone in the main entrance to the church, with most of the inscription hidden under the doorjamb. In 1853-1854 it was removed from the church door and mounted into the wall of the church porch instead by Dybeck.
The stone has all four common runic formulas, it starts with a memorial formula about Banki/Bagge, followed by a biographical formula, a prayer and ends with a carver signature. The runes are younger futhark long branch runes. The /s/ in sun has a chair form, instead of the standard form that is used for all other /s/ runes in the inscription. This might be a mistake, since the lower part of the stem is thinner and shallower than the rest of the lines.
Poor Banki/Bagge was part of the catastrophic viking raid led by Ingvar in 1041, that is described in the Icelandic saga Yngvarr saga víðförla. The stone is one of at least 30 runestones describing this raid that ended so disastrously.
The inscription has 116 runes:
ᚦᛁᛅᛚᚠᛁ × ᛅᚢᚴ × ᚼᚢᛚᛘᚾᛚᛅᚢᚴ × ᛚᛁᛏᚢ × ᚱᛅᛁᛋᛅ × ᛋᛏᛅᛁᚾᛅ ᚦᛁᛋᛅ × ᛅᛚᛅ × ᛅᛏ ᛒᛅᚴᛅ × ᛋᚢᚾ ᛋᛁᚾ × ᛁᛋ ᛅᛏᛁ × ᛅᛁᚾ × ᛋᛁᚱ × ᛋᚴᛁᛒ × ᛅᚢᚴ × ᛅᚢᛋᛏᚱ × ᛋᛏᚢᚱᚦᛁ × ᛁ × ᛁᚴᚢᛅᚱᛋ × ᛚᛁᚦ × ᚴᚢᚦ ᚼᛁᛅᛚᛒᛁ × ᚯᛏ × ᛒᛅᚴᛅ × ᛅᛋᚴᛁᛚ × ᚱᛅᛁᛋᛏ
The translitteration:
þialfi × auk × hulmnlauk × litu × raisa × staina þisa × ala × at baka × sun sin × is ati × ain × sir × skib × auk × austr × st(u)[rþi ×] i × ikuars × liþ × kuþ hialbi × ot × baka × ask(i)l × raist
Normalization:
Þjalfi ok Holmlaug létu reisa steina þessa alla at Banka/Bagga, son sinn. Er átti einn sér skip ok austr stýrði í Ingvars lið. Guð hjalpi ǫnd Banka/Bagga. Áskell reist.
English translation:
Þjalfi and Holmlaug had all of these stones raised in memory of Banki/Baggi, their son, who alone owned a ship and steered to the east in Ingvarr's retinue. May God help Banki's/Baggi's spirit. Áskell carved.
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