The granite runestone Kummelbystenen

Skyward and sturdy, the Uppland Runic Inscription Fv1953;263 stands at the entrance to the Kummeby church with its 1.8-metre granite frame. Classified as runestone style Pr5, also known as Urnes style, the stone features text within runic bands with serpent or beast heads. Unlike many Viking Age inscriptions, this text is read from the tail of the serpent counterclockwise towards its head. A cross is located near the top of the stone.

The runic text states that the stone was raised by Helga in memory of her husband Svertingr and her sons Eysteinn and Hemingr. The inscription is unique as it is the only surviving runestone signed by the runemaster Ígulfastr, who is explicitly named at the end of the text. In the name Svertingr, the runemaster used a bind rune, which is a ligature combining an a-rune and l-rune, while in his own signature he connected the u-rune and l-rune.

Stylistically, the work of Ígulfastr is very similar to that of the runemaster Öpir, although it is unknown which of the two influenced the other. The Rundata designation for this Uppland inscription, U Fv1953;263, refers to the year and page number of the issue of Fornvännen in which the stone was first described. Locally, the stone is known as the Kummelbystenen.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons