The stone of Upplands runinskrifter 943

The stone of Upplands runinskrifter 943

A rune stone stands behind Gustavianum in Universitetsparken, bearing a fragmented inscription from the 1000s.

Located behind Gustavianum in Universitetsparken, Upplands runinskrifter 943 stands alongside eight other rune stones. The stone's ornamentik consists of a simple rune loop in the form of a rune serpent crawling along the outer edge of the front, with a large cross in the middle. Large pieces of the rune loop are missing from both the left and right sides.

Only a part of the inscription is preserved, as the rest was on the sides that were removed. The normalized inscription reads "Biorn ok. [st]æin æftiR. and." This translates to "Björn och. stenen efter. ande." The incomplete nature of the text leaves it unclear who besides Björn raised the stone, as well as who was being honored by it. The stone was not signed by the carver.

Carved in the 1000s, this stone differs from many others that were erected to commemorate the dead along major roads. It likely originally stood as a grave marker on a Christian burial site. The stone was rediscovered during a renovation of the Ärkebiskopsgården, approximately 100 meters from its current location.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

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