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TheJarlabanke Runestones (Swedish:Jarlabankestenarna) is the name of about 20runestones written inOld Norse with theYounger Futhark rune script in the 11th century, inUppland,Sweden.

They were ordered by what appears to have been achieftain named Jarlabanke Ingefastsson and hisclan (Swedish:Jarlabankeätten), inTäby.^[2] Jarlabanke was probably ahersir (chieftain of ahundred) responsible for the localleidang organization and on several runestones, he stated that he was a Christian and not aPagan.^[2]

Omeljan Pritsak has remarked that Jarlabanke's prominent position and property show that he and his clan profited from taking part in theDanegelds and from the services that men of his clan provided as mercenaries in theVarangian Guard and inKievan Rus'.^[3]

Five of the runestones contain very much the same message: "Jarlabanke had these stones made after himself while he was alive. He made this bridge for his soul. He alone owned all ofTäby".^[4]One stone at the church of Vallentuna also shows the following text on its second side: "Jarlabanke had this stone made after himself while he was alive. He made thisassembly location and he alone owned this hundred".^[4]

The so-calledJarlabanke's bridge is a causeway in Täby which was originally bordered by four runestones and many raised stones.^[4] It is c. 116 metres long and 6.4 metres wide, and there were inscriptions (U 164 andU 165) by Jarlabanke both at the southern and the northern end of the causeway.^[5] One of the runestones was moved during his lifetime to the location of the local assembly of theVallentuna Hundred, where it received a new text and it was replaced with a new fifth one at Jarlabanke's bridge and which had a different design.^[4]

Three other runestones present Jarlabanke as the builder of roads and bridges, and ten or so mention his family members making it possible to follow his family during four generations.^[4] His pride at building roads and bridges shows that this was something that gave prestige in 11th-century Sweden.^[2]

The inscriptions have led to a controversy on the meaning of theOld Norse verbeiga ("to own"), and to a debate on the origins on thehundred division.^[4] It is debated whether he really owned the hundred or if he was appointed as its chieftain (hersir) by theKing of Sweden, and a final conclusion is probably impossible to arrive at.^[2]

Besides the runestones treated in this article, there are many others that were raised by Jarlabanke and his clansmen such asU 101,U 135,U 136,U 137,U 143,U 147,U 309 andU 310.^[3] However, these runestones are treated separately as they were raised in connection withEstrid, the femaleprogenitor of the Jarlabanke clan.

The remaining runestones that are associated with Jarlabanke's relatives are:U 100,U 104,U 112,U 133,U 141,U 151,U 160,U 161,U 225,U 226,U 328,U 336,U 343 andU 344.^[3]

This runestone in thestyle Pr2 (first half of the 11th century) is located at the church ofDanderyd. It was found in the walls of the church and had probably been moved quite a distance from Täby before it was used in the church. On this rune stone, Jarlabanke declared that he had the whole of Täby under his command and that he had made a bridge and raised several rune stones in honour of himself while he was alive.

This fragment is located in Broby, near theBroby bro Runestones andU 150. It was discovered among the ground stones of a smaller building. It is one of two Jarlabanke runestones that mention men who travelled abroad (the other one isU 136), but it is not known who the traveller mentioned in the fragment was. It also belongs to theGreece Runestones and it is treated there as well.

This rune stone in thestyle Pr4 (second half of the 11th century) is located in Fällbro, and it is one of the most important Jarlabanke rune stones as it was raised in his memory after his death. It was raised by Jarlabanke's wife Ketiley, and his son Ingifastr Jarlabankesson. The stone also informs that it was made byÖpir, who was the most productiverunemaster of his time.

This runestone in thestyle Pr3 (third quarter of the 11th century) is located in the forest south-west of Hagby, where a road once crossed a brook, and only a few hundred metres fromU 147. The road was made by Jarlabanke's clan and it went from the bay ofEdsviken to Täby. The rune stone informs that it was raised by Ingifastr Eysteinsson (Jarlabanke's father) in memory of his wife Ragnfríðr, together with his son Hemingr (Jarlabanke's half-brother).

This runestone was located in Hagby. It has, however, disappeared, but it survives in form of a drawing made byRichard Dybeck in 1840. The rune stone is one of those that Jarlabanke made in his own memory and it tells that was raised in connection with his constructing a path.

This runestone is possibly in thestyle Fp (first half of the 11th century) and it is located in Karby, along the road, at a small distance fromU 140 and theBroby bro Runestones. The lower part of it has been lost, and today it is secured in the ground with a foundation of concrete. The rune stone informs that Jarlabanke and his wife Fastvé raised it in memory of their son Sveinn. The style of the stone is, however, problematic since it may be in the style of Jarlabanke's parents' generation.

This runestone in thestyle Pr2-Pr3 (mid-11th century) is located at the causeway known as Jarlabanke's bridge. It is another one of the rune stones that he raised in memory of himself while he was alive, and where he declares that he commands all of Täby. It tells that it is specifically made to commemorate the creation of the causeway ("bridge") for the sake of Jarlabanke's soul.

Like the previous rune stone, this one is also located at the causeway Jarlabanke's bridge. It contains the same message and informs that Jarlabanke made the causeway for his soul and raised the stone in memory of himself. It also adds that Jarlabanke was in command of all of Täby. It is instyle Pr2 (second half of the 11th century).

This runestone is located at the church ofVallentuna, but it is not known where its original location was. A notable aspect of the stone is the fact that it is engraved on both sides (A and B) and that the small difference between the messages is of note. On side A, he is in possession of all of Täby and here theOld Norse verbeiga can be interpreted as "to own", but on side B, he was in possession of the whole hundred. In the last sense, the verbeiga probably means "to command". The latter side also informs that the rune stone was raised where he had made the assembly location of the hundred. Side B is later than side A and it was probably made after a piece of the stone had been destroyed, as is suggested by its design. Jarlabanke's power had been extended from the village of Täby to the whole hundred. Side A is in thestyle Pr2 (first half of the 11th century) and side B is in thestyle Pr2-Pr3 (mid-11th century).

This runestone was found at the church of Vallentuna, but it is presently stored inside thecommunity pharmacy of Vallentuna. It is raised by a man having a Christian name, Johan, in memory of his father Eysteinn. This Eysteinn is believed to be the son of Jarlabanke's son Ingifastr. It is in thestyle Pr5 (late 11th or early 12th century).

This runestone was found in the church of Vallentuna, but it has disappeared. It was raised to commemorate that an Ingifastr had made a bridge, and this Ingifastr is held to be Jarlabanke's son, and the father of the Eysteinn mentioned on the previous rune stone. The reason for connecting the people mentioned on these stones is their location and the fact that U 216 and U 217 were both carved by the runemaster Drósbúi.

This runestone is located at thechurch of Fresta, and it is possibly in thestyle Pr2-Pr3 (mid-11th century). It is an additional rune stone raised by Jarlabanke is memory of himself, while he was alive, and that mentions that he was the sole owner of Täby.

• List of runestones

• Hadenius, Stig; Nilsson, Torbjörn & Åselius, Gunnar. (1996).Sveriges historia. Centraltryckeriet, Borås.ISBN 91-34-51857-6
• Pritsak, Omeljan. (1981).The origin of Rus'. Cambridge, Mass.: Distributed by Harvard University Press for the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute.ISBN 0-674-64465-4
• Nationalencyklopedin
• Rundata
• An English Dictionary of Runic Inscriptions of the Younger Futhark, at the university of Nottingham
• An Internet site on the Jarlabanke clan.Archived 2007-02-05 at theWayback Machine
• A presentation^{[dead link]} at theFoteviken Museum.
• A presentation at the National Historic Museum, in Sweden.

• Runestones in Uppland

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