Runic inscription

Adils and Ösel and Olov, they had this stone raised in memory of Vigisl, their father, Ernfrid's husband.

Athisl : auk : Aysi : auk : ---fr : thair : litu : raisa : stain : thinsa : at : Uikisl : fathur : sin : boanta : Irfrithar 
 

About the runestone

On Färingsö, near Svartsjö Castle, there is this runestone that I consider to be one of the world's most beautiful runestones.

3 meters high and 2 meters wide and carved on a very thin slab of granite. The rune carver must have had nerves of steel or been completely unaware of the risk that it could break during the work.

To further impress the viewer, the runestone is placed on a hill so you have to look up at the artwork.

The runestone, which is unsigned, was carved by an experienced artist who was both brave, a little careless, and playful... but I think I know who it was!

Runristaren heter Ärnfast och har ristat flera runstenar i Ekerö kommun men även några på andra platser. The reason I believe that Ärnfast created this runestone is the design of the ornamentation and how the work was carried out.

I believe this runecarver is Ärnfast who has also created several other runestones in Ekerö municipality. The reason I believe that Ärnfast created this runestone is the design of the ornamentation and how the work was carried out.

De två rundjuren i centrum har liv och rörelse, de travar över stenen yta. Ärnfast har alltid haft stor lust till att rista djur på sina runstenar. Det här är hans vackraste runsten och rundjur. Men vad föreställer motivet, jakt, parning eller lek?

The two animals in the center have "life and movement", they run across the surface of the stone. Ärnfast has always had a great desire to carve animals on his runestones and this is his most beautiful and with well-composed animals on it. But what does the motif represent, hunting, mating or play?

Maybe part of a saga that everyone knew during the Viking Age but is now forgotten or too difficult to recognize today?

Details tell the story...
For Ärnfast, the motif and the artwork are what inspire him the most. The runic inscription, which is usually not connected to the motif, is for Ärnfast what gives him the opportunity to create the artwork.

Ärnfast has built up his knowledge and experience over a long period of time and has now become a skilled artist. He knows how to follow the laws of ornamentation while at the same time managing to lay out beautiful ornamentation in a cunning way that makes it easy to work with. He is brave and dares to carve untried, unique details.
 

He was careless with the runes, why?
The runes in the runic inscription that starts at the bottom left behind the dragon's shackle are evenly spaced, neat and tidy. Somewhere at the very top of the runestone, Ärnfast begins to realize that it will be difficult to fit all the runes in, so he starts to place them closer together than before, and in the end it becomes really tight.

It is probably when he is fully focused on the spaces between the runes that he forgets an i-rune in the word "raisa" (erected).
The forgotten i-rune is carved in at a later time where it should be... even though it became tight.

But..!
It could also be that when he had carved half of the runic inscription, the person who commissioned the runestone came back with an addition.
The addition could be the last two words "boanta :irfrithar" (husband to Ernfrid). Because without these two words, all the runes would line up evenly.

Who was Ärnfast?
He seems to have been a happy rune carver with many friends. He was generous and enjoyed carving with friends and made sure they were included in the rune inscription in cases where he decided on that part himself.
His passion was ornamentation and images, the rune inscription came second.

Visit the runestone.

Runestone U 35 is found in Ekerö municipality on Färingsö near Svartsjö Castle. The carved surface faces north and below there was a large bay to Lake Mälaren during the Viking Age.

The runestone is intended for those sailors who dock somewhere below with their boats and ships.
 

Go to the address: Svartsjövägen 13

When you stand in front of the door to the property at Svartsjövägen 13 you are 45 meters behind the runestone. Turn around and you will see the large back of the runestone.

Google map > Help you find the runestone
 

Links

Upplands runinskrifter > Page 47
(Good older information, only in Swedish)

Fornsök > - Only in Swedish

Runor > - Riksantikvarieämbetet

Google map > Help you find the runestone.

kalle@runristare.se
If you want to be of help or have a question.
 

ALL RUNESTONES

Ekerö municipality

ADELSÖ >
has 5 known runestones

BIRKA >
has fragments from 9 known runestones

MUNSÖ >
has 3 or 4 known runestones

EKERÖ >
has 11 known runestones

FÄRINGSÖ >
has 27 known runestones

LOVÖ >
has 8 known runestones