Helgulfr and Eyjulfr raised a memorial stone for their brother

Standing in Gripsholm Castle, Södermanland Runic Inscription 178 is a Viking Age memorial runestone. Made of sandstone and reaching 1.9 meters in height, the runestone features runic text carved on two serpents that bracket a Christian cross. The serpents have binding at their heads and near the end of their tails as if to bind them to the stone. The runestone is carved in the Urnes style, characterized by slim and stylized animals that are interwoven into tight patterns.

The stone was discovered in 1730 during excavation work near the castle and moved to its current location in 1926. The runic text states that two brothers named Helgulfr and Eyjulfr raised the stones as a memorial to their brother Ketilmundr and a bridge in memory of their mother Sóma. The use of the word stones indicates that the memorial once consisted of a second stone, which has been lost.

The inscription is signed by a runemaster named Brune, who was the brother of Sóma. The names of runemasters are often on smaller serpents or adjacent to the main serpent, but on this stone, Brune's name appears on one of the two serpents with the main text. This may be because he was related to the sponsors of the runestone.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons