The Sigurd stones encompass eight or nine runic inscriptions and one picture stone, each telling a unique story from the medieval Viking legend of Sigurd the dragon slayer. These runes date back to the Viking Age, representing the earliest Norse representations of the matter of the Völsung cycle, the source material for both the Middle High German Nibelungenlied and various Sigurd legends in the Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, and Völsunga saga.
These runestones and their stories are as follows: - U 1163: Originally found in Drävle, this stone was moved to the courtyard of the manor house of Revelsta, called Göksbo. Its imagery shows Sigurd thrusting his sword through the dragon Fafnir (the lindworm or serpent band containing the runic inscription), the dwarf Andvari, and the valkyrie Sigrdrífa offering a drinking horn to Sigurd. - U 1175: Located in Stora Ramsjö, this runestone is classified as a nonsensical stone that does not contain any runes, only runelike signs surrounding a design with a cross.
- Gök stone: This stone consists of runic text on two serpents that surround much of the Sigurd imagery, including Sigurd stabbing the dragon, the horse Grani, and the roasting of the dragon heart. - Sö 323: This stone is carved on three sides. One side has the runic text within a serpent band with the head and tail of the serpent bound at the bottom; the text states that it was made by the runemaster Skamhals. The other two sides contain images, with one interpreted as depicting Gunnar playing the harp in the snake pit.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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