Ledberg stone
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The Ledberg stone, designated as Ög 181 under Rundata, is an image-stone and runestone located in Östergötland, Sweden.
Description
The Ledberg stone is a partially surviving runestone, similar to Thorwald's Cross. It features a figure with his foot at the mouth of a four-legged beast, below which lies a legless, helmeted man, with his arms in a prostrate position.[1] This is thought to be a depiction of Odin being devoured by the wolf Fenrir at Ragnarök, the final battle in Norse mythology, in which several gods meet their death.[1] The battle and death of Odin are described in the poem Völuspá from the Poetic Edda.[2]
Some scholars, however, believe that the images of the Ledberg stone depict the final story of either Þorgautr or Gunna,Script error: No such module "Unsubst". who are memorialized in the runic inscription. If the images are followed in the same order as the runes are written, they seem to create a chronological account. The first image is of a ship; this depicts a journey abroad. Next, there is a figure walking to the left, carrying what is most likely a shield, in preparation for departure. In the third image, the figure is carrying weapons and a shield to the right, probably marching to battle. At the top of the second side of the stone, the figure's foot is being bitten by a wolf and finally, we see the figure legless with arms sprawled, likely lying dead on the battlefield. Wolves were often used in Viking art and poetry to signify combat,[3] so it is thought to be unlikely that the figure fell in battle due to wounds caused by a wolf.
The warrior figures have shields, one carries a spear, and all have moustaches and beards, except for the Odin figure. The helmets are conical and similar in shape to those shown on the Bayeux Tapestry.[4]
Inscription
The runic inscription of the Ledberg stone is carved in the Younger futhark, and is dated to the 11th century. It reads:[5]
Charm
The final part of the B-side contains a rhyming charm or spell (galdr), which reads:
which is to be read (in normalized Old Icelandic spelling):
This type of charm (istill formula) is found on a few other inscriptions, among them the runic inscription on the Gørlev runestone, DR 239, from Sjælland, Denmark.[6] It has been noted that Pliny the Elder recorded that the Celts gathered mistletoe as a cure for infertility, and that singing a charm over herbs increased their power, which may have led to the þistill mistill kistill combination.[6]
Of the personal names in the inscription, Þorgautr contains as a name element the Norse god Thor.
See also
References
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- ↑ a b Jansson, Sven B. (1987). Runes in Sweden. Stockholm, Gidlund. Template:ISBN. p. 152.
- ↑ Bellows, Henry Adams (trans.) (1936). Völuspá, stanzas 51-59.
- ↑ See Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".; and Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ a b Cite error: Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".
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