| Järsberg Runestone | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Writing | Elder Futhark |
| Created | 6th century |
| Discovered | 1862 Järsberg,Kristinehamn,Värmland,Sweden |
| Present location | Järsberg,Kristinehamn,Värmland,Sweden |
| Rundata ID | Vr 1 |
| Runemaster | Unknown |
| Text – Native | |
| Proto-Norse :[Le]ubaz(?) haite. Hrabnaz hait[e]. Ek, erilaz, runoz writu. | |
| Translation | |
| Leubaz am I called. Hrafn am I called. I, the eril, write the runes. | |
TheJärsberg Runestone is arunestone in theelder futhark nearKristinehamn inVärmland,Sweden.
It contains the following runic text:
ᚢᛒᚨᛉ
...ubaz
ᚺᛁᛏᛖ
hite
᛬
÷
ᚺᚨᚱᚨᛒᚨᚾᚨᛉ
h=arabana=z
¶
¶
ᚺᚨᛁᛏ
h=ait...
¶
¶
ᛖᚲ
ek
ᛖᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ
e=rilaz
ᚱᚢᚾᛟᛉ
runoz
ᚹᚨᚱᛁᛏᚢ
waritu
ᚢᛒᚨᛉ ᚺᛁᛏᛖ ᛬ ᚺᚨᚱᚨᛒᚨᚾᚨᛉ ¶ ᚺᚨᛁᛏ ¶ ᛖᚲ ᛖᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ ᚱᚢᚾᛟᛉ ᚹᚨᚱᛁᛏᚢ
...ubaz hite ÷ h=arabana=z ¶ h=ait... ¶ ek e=rilaz runoz waritu
Leubaz am I called. Hrafn am I called. I, the eril, write the runes.[1]
The nameHrabnaz or Hrafn translates as Raven.[2]
The Järsberg Runestone is a stone of reddishgranite that is believed to have been part of astone circle monument.[2] The upper part of the runestone is damaged; this was the case when the stone was found. It is thus impossible to say how much of the runic text has been lost. It is safe to assume that the right row is to be completed with ane, but the left row is more problematic. If the name is preserved, it was likely the man's nameUbaz (owl), but many assume that the name wasLeubaz (pleasant), which is a name element known from another migration age runestone in Skärkind,Östergötland, that is designated as Ög 171. Moreover, the remainder of this row of runic text has not been positively interpreted either.
There are diverging opinions as to where the inscription starts.[3] This is because the upper part is lost and the fact that early runic inscriptions could be read from right to left. Usually the orientation of the runes indicate which direction, but the runes on this stone are ambiguous. In addition, the size of the last line of the text is smaller than the main section and "write the runes" is in a curved, serpentine fashion.[3]
Several runes could be united to formbind runes. In the Järsberg runestone, there are four such cases in the text, including both "h+a" combinations including that starting the name Hrafn.[3]
The last rune in the wordrunoz is upside-down. The Y-like rune in the wordek is a transitional form between thek-rune of theelder futhark and theyounger futhark which is found on theBjörketorp Runestone inBlekinge. Unlike the Björketorp runestone, there are no other runes that show transitional forms. The Järsberg runestone should consequently be older, thus it is dated to the early 6th century.
The worderilaz is known from severalProto-Norse inscriptions. The fact that it is a title, profession or something similar is certain, but not much more. There are many indications that it is connected to the titleearl. According to a tradition from the 18th century, the older form of the name Järsberg wasJarlsberg ("Earl's hill"), and the monuments in the vicinity were remainders of the old earldom. However, medieval annotations of the name contradict that the name Järsberg is derived fromjarl.
In Värmland, there are only four runestones of which two are from theViking Age (inOld Norse) and the two others are from theAge of Migrations (in the olderProto-Norse). The Järsberg Runestone is one of the two earliest and it dates from the 6th century. It is raised along a trail calledLetstigen which was a pre-historic trail going from the Swedish central region in theMälaren basin to the central region ofVestfold inNorway.
The stone was discovered in 1862[4] and it was then lying on its side, partially covered by soil. It appeared to have the proper shape for a gate stone, but when runes were discovered on it, it was instead raised anew where it was found.
Those who formerly travelled the old trail met a more formidable sight than people do today. In the location there were eight more stones and there is a sketch from 1863 where both the stones and the location of the find are marked. Unfortunately both the raised stones and parts of the terrain where they were raised have disappeared due to agricultural work. Moreover, according to older information there was an additional stone circle at a small distance to the south of the field where the runestone is raised.
The disappearance of the monuments convinced many scholars that the Järsberg runestone had been erected on atumulus and several interpretations of the inscription have made this assumption.[4] In order to arrive at a definitive conclusion, theSwedish National Heritage Board made an excavation in 1975, but no traces of any graves could be found.[4] Furthermore, no archaeological finds were made. The excavation concluded that the mound was a natural feature.[4]
However, in connection with a review of pre-historic monuments, in 1987 a glass bead was found near the runestone. This kind of find indicates a woman's grave. An archaeologist has maintained that the profile of the hill that was made during the excavation in 1975 gave the impression of a large tumulus. However, there is at the moment no consensus as to whether there was a tumulus or not.
The Swedish author Jan Andersson has written a novelJag, Herulen: En värmländsk historia about the making of the stone. The book is based on the theory thatErilaz refers to theHeruli, aGermanic tribe whichProcopius reported had returned to Scandinavia. In the book, the returning Heruls pass throughGeatish territory and find a mostly unsettled land which becomesVärmland.
59°17′07″N14°08′09″E / 59.28528°N 14.13583°E /59.28528; 14.13583