Stora Hammars stones
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The Stora Hammars image stones are four Viking Age image stones located in Stora Hammars, Lärbro parish, Gotland, Sweden dating from around the 7th century CE.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Description
The four Stora Hammars image stones are phallic shaped. Similar combinations of death with this erotic symbolism occur on other Gotland rune and image stones.[1] The images on the Stora Hammars II and IV stones are very worn and not currently decipherable.
Stora Hammars I
Depicted on the Stora Hammars I stone are six panels with mythological, religious and martial themes, including panels depicting a woman between two men, a sacrifice scene with a Valknut over an altar, a woman standing between a longship manned with armed warriors and another group of armed men, and a battle scene.[2] It is interpreted as illustrating the legend of Hildr and its never-ending battle.[2] The stone includes an image of a warrior about to be hanged in a tree, possibly as a blood eagle sacrifice,[3] with a nearby Valknut (considered to be Odin's cult symbol) apparently giving validity to reports about this type human sacrifice in Norse paganism.[4] Near the altar is a shaped stone, suggested by one scholar as being a cult stone similar to the Elgesem runestone.[5]
Stora Hammars III
The Stora Hammars III image stone has four panels, the lower of which shows a ship with warriors. One of the panels has been interpreted as depicting Odin in the form of an eagle taking the mead of poetry,[6] a legend described in section 6 of the Skáldskaparmál.[7] Gunnlöð and Suttungr are shown to the right of the eagle. Another panel depicts a rider on a horse being greeted by a woman who has been interpreted as being a Valkyrie.[8] The woman appears to be wearing a long serk or underdress, which may be pleated, and a short overdress.[9]
See also
References
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- ↑ CyberSamurai Encyclopedia of Norse Mythology: Prose Edda - Skáldskaparmál Template:Webarchive (English).
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External links
- Photograph of Stora Hammars I - Swedish National Heritage Board
- Photograph of Stora Hammars II - Swedish National Heritage Board
- Photograph of Stora Hammars III - Swedish National Heritage Board
- Photograph of Stora Hammars IV - Swedish National Heritage Board
- Photograph showing 4 stones - Swedish National Heritage Board