Upplands runinskrifter 940 behind Gustavianum

Upplands runinskrifter 940 is a runestone located behind Gustavianum in Uppsala. It stands together with eight other stones, including U 489, U 896, and U 932. The stone is decorated with a round animal in the form of a serpent, a smaller serpent, and a cross on the upper part. The serpent's tail and neck are locked with an Irish collar, and another row of runes runs along the lower part of the stone.

The inscription provides two possible interpretations for how the sequences should be joined. One version reads: "Igul och Torger lät uppresa stenen till minne av Kättilfast, sin far. Hjälpe själen. Gillög «hont» Öpir rådde runorna." Another version includes the names Gillög and Hand, suggesting the stone was erected in memory of Kättilfast, their father.

The stone is associated with the highly productive rune carver Öpir, who worked during the latter part of the 1000s. Öpir created about sixty runestones in Uppland. Some scholars suggest the signature "Öpir rådde runorna" might indicate that Öpir acted as a supervisor rather than the primary carver, though it remains possible he performed the work himself.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons