The Queen who commissioned two runestones for her son

The Sigtryggsteine are a group of runestones from the mid-to-late 10th century, commissioned by a Queen named Asfrid in memory of her son, Sigtrygg. One stone, the Großer Sigtryggstein, was discovered in 1797 broken at a ford between Haddebyer and Selker Noor. Its inscription, carved in Swedish runes, identifies Sigtrygg as the son of Asfrid and Knuba. The second, smaller stone, the kleiner Sigtryggstein, was found in 1887 built into the foundations of a bastion of Gottorf Castle.

Asfrid was the widow of King Chnuba and the mother of King Sigtrygg. According to Adam von Bremen, a Swedish noble named Olaf conquered Denmark in the early 10th century, and his sons were named Chnob (Knuba) and Gyrd. In 934, King Chnuba submitted to German King Henry I, paid tribute, and was converted to Christianity. The linguistic forms on the larger stone suggest that this dynasty originated in Sweden. While the practice of placing two stones together is common in Sweden, it is rare in Denmark.

Sigtrygg was the last representative of this lineage, and a man named Hardegon eventually stripped him of his kingship. The inscription on the smaller stone, carved by a Danish rune master named Gorm, identifies Asfrid as the daughter of Odinkar. While the date of Sigtrygg's death is unknown, some speculate he may be the same as a Norman named Setricus who died in 943. These stones serve as contemporary sources for a little-preserved historical event.

Today, the Sigtryggsteine are kept in the Haithabu Museum. They are displayed alongside the Svensteine, a younger group of runestones. The stones provide historical documentation of the early history of southern Denmark, connecting real events to the period before and after the Danish unification.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons