Södermanland Runic Inscription 178

Standing tall in Gripsholm Castle, Södermanland Runic Inscription 178 is a Viking Age memorial runestone. Made of sandstone and towering at 1.9 meters in height, the runestone features runic text carved on two serpentine beings that flank a Christian cross. Theserpents are intricately bound at their heads and near the ends of their tails, asthey might fasten them to the stone. This runestone style, known as Urnes style, was common during the Viking Age and characterized by slim, stylized animals interwoven into tight patterns.

The runestone was discovered in 1730 and moved to its current location in 1926. The inscription on the stone says that two brothers named Helgulfr and Eyjulfr raised the stone as a memorial to their brother Ketilmundr and a bridge in memory of their mother Sóma. However, the sources do not state that the bridge was built to commemorate a queen, but only to remember Sóma, the mother.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons