Roek Stone Rökstenen Heruls Heruler Link The Sparloesa Stone In Vaestergoetland at the church of Sparloesa one of the most famous runestones is placed. The text is only fragmentary, but opposite the stone in Roek the Sparloesa Stone is covered with pictures and these pictures are in a style quite different from the Gotlandic picture stones. The stone has been dated to the end of the 8th century by most scholars. Text: The text is written in the late runic alphabet with 16 runes in an early form - but also with some short-twigged runes. Due to runes and language it is dated to 750-850 AD by the runologists - probably the first part of the period. An exception is line E, which is a later text added around 1000 AD. The text is partly damaged, and consequently the official translation by Elisabeth Swaerdstroem is impossible to interpret due to her very cautious and minimalistic reading. Her edition is quoted below. Transliteration of the runes: A (Plate 1): a¤iuls kaf ÷ airikis sunR kaf alrik- - B (Plate 2): ---t---la kaf rau- at kialt(i) * ...a sa- faşiR ubsal faşiR suaş a-a-u--ba ...-omas notu auk takaR ÷ aslriku lu--R ukş-t a(i)u(i)sl C (Plate 3): ...s---n(u)(R)-a-- şat sikmar aiti makuR airikis makin(i)aru şuno * aft aiuis uk raş runoR şaR raki-ukutu iu şar suaş aliriku lu(b)u faşi D (Plate 3): ui(u)-am ...--ukrşsar(s)k(s)nuibin- ---kunR(u)k(l)ius-- ...iu E (Plate 1): : kisli : karşi : iftiR : kunar : bruşur [:] kubl : şisi Transscription: A: Æivisl gaf, Æiriks sunR, gaf Alrik[R] ... B: ... gaf at gialdi [Ş]a(?) sa[t] fağiR Upsal(?), fağiR svağ ... ... nætR ok dagaR. AlrikR ugğ[i]t(?) Æivisl C: ... şat Sigmarr hæiti maguR Æiriks. Mæginiaru(?) <şuno> aft Æivisl. Ok rağ runaR şaR rægi[n]kundu şar, svağ AlrikR faği. D: ... ... ... E: Gisli gærği æftiR Gunnar, broğur, kumbl şessi. Translation: A: Eyvísl(?), Eiríkr's son gave, Alríkr gave... B: ... gave ... as payment. Then(?) the father sat(?) (in) Uppsala(?), the father that ... ... nights and days. Alríkr feared(?) not Eyvísl(?). C: ... that Eiríkr's boy is called Sigmarr/celebrated-for-victories. Mighty battle(?) ... in memory of Eyvísl(?). And interpret the runes of divine origin there... , that Alríkr coloured. D: ... ... ... E: Gísli made this monument in memory of Gunnarr, (his) brother. An alternative translation of A-D was made in 1998 by Svante Norr: A: Oeyuls gave. Eirik's son gave ( the kingship) to Alrik. B: And a great people gave their lord honour in return (acclaimed the designation). Then/there the father sat in the Uppsal, a father so that food remained (a provider of food). Night competed with day as Alrik was born to the vi's guardian (Erik) and so also Oeyuls (brother to Alrik). C: Now it is said on the vi of honour that victorious was the name of Eriks son, fierce battle's Odin (leader). After Oeyuls and interpret these runes which are god-given, here on the vi, that Ali-rich, as behoves glory made. D: The vi's guardian am I ..... It has to be noticed that the alternative translation is speculative. Many scholars have noticed that Upsal is mentioned in a combination with the names Erik and Alrik. These royal names - and maybe also Oeyuls - were used by the first dynasties of Uppsala according to Ynglingatal, and they were also used by the Eastgermanic Goths and Heruls. In the 9th century Rimbert mentioned a dead king Erik being worshipped in Uppland. Pictures: Pictures have been carved more or less on all four vertical plates of the stone. Especially the last plate with a house, a ship and a horseman has been eagerly discussed and is the main topic of this appendix too. Some of the latest contributions about the topic are Christer Westerdahl in Västgötabygden nr 5 (1996), Svante Norr's book "To rede or to rown" (1998), Bengt Nordqvist in "Kult, Guld och Makt" (2007) and Ingemar Nordgren in "HistorieForum - Tidsskrift for Historisk Debat 2" (2009). The motive at the top - a building: The building at the Sparloesa Stone - Valhalla, Ardre - Valhalla, Tjaengvide - The mausoleum of Theodoric. Both the building at the Sparloesa Stone and the buildings at the Gotlandic picture stones have a half round roof, which is opposite the archaeological reconstructions of the Scandinavian halls and houses. The house in Sparloesa appears to be constructed in timber. The two Gotlandic picture stones with this round hall with many doors (Valhall) date to the 9th or 10th century. The building at the Sparloesa Stone is probably a royal hall and may be a symbol of the royal power and the cultic life in the hall (Svante Norr 1998). Ingemar Nordgren (Nordgren 2009) has presented an alternative explanation. According to him the hall could be the mausoleum of Theodoric in Ravenna which has some similarities in the construction. In that case we have to forget the lower part of the building, but it is a theoretical possibility. The Germanic hero Theodoric and his town Ravenna were known by Charlemagne and in Scandinavia around 800 AD as already argued in the article about the Roek Stone (Chapter 4). In that case the motive would be a symbol of the ideal of royal Scandinavian kingship, which is not far from the symbol explained above, and the time could be from 526 to 815. In both cases the style is close to the late Gotlandic picture stones. The circle in the door is not explained. It could be a window in the back wall (in Theodorik's Mausoleum a small window as a cross can be seen against east), but the circle could also be the sun, a ring or something else. The motive in the middle - a ship: The Sparloesa Stone - Ravenna Mosaic - Carolingian Quentovic coin - Carolingian coins - The Carolingian church in Aachen - Oseberg. Christer Westerdahl (Westerdahl 1996) has compared the ship with the Carolingian coins from the time around 800 AD. It is quite obvious from pictures at the coins and in the palace chapel in Aachen that the ship was a symbol used by the Frankish emperor, Charlemagne, to demonstrate the power and richness of his new empire - which he regarded as the continuation of the Western Roman Empire. As demonstrated at the pictures above the peacock and the cross were used as symbols on his ships being pictured in nearly the same shape as the ship on the Sparloesa Stone. The peacock was used as an imperial symbol in Byzans and later by Charlemagne - originally a symbol of eternity. The cross was of course the Christian symbol, but this Christian symbol was also supposed to be used to signal that a ship was a peaceful trader. It is very obvious from the similarity of the pictures above that the carver of the Sparloesa Stone knew the ship with its imperial symbols from the Frankish coins. It is probable too as this was the time when the traderoutes from Dorestad and Quentovic via Hedeby to Birka and Skiringssal were established. The motive on these coins must demonstrate the economical power of the reestablished West Roman Empire. The ship type at the coins is a hulk, but Christer Westerdahl has even found a Scandinavian type of ship matching the picture in Sparloesa. Both the types of mast and sail are found at the coins too. The origin of the motive is in this way convincingly explained by Christer Westerdahl. Consequently the motive should most probably be dated after 780 AD - just as the stone has been dated until now based on style and runes. The background for the use of the symbols will be explained later. We cannot, however, exclude that the carving was earlier as the Ravenna Mosaic above shows a similar boat with a cross in the mast. The sail from Ravenna is not similar with the stone and the coins, but it is similar with the reconstructed mosaic from Aachen. Ingemar Nordgren (Nordgren 2009) has claimed that the ship was carved as a crescent moon in the 6th century as a symbol of Virgin Mary, but at that time they used the crescent moon itself - no ships are known in that connection at that time. The connection between Virgin Mary and a ship was Mary as "Stella Maris", but that was caused much later in the 9th century by mistaking an earlier text. The first ships with sails being attested in Scandinavian archaeology are found at a group of Gotlandic picture stones with a dating 500-700 AD. As Procopius wrote in 553 (VIII.xx.31) that the islanders were rowing without sails when describing the Varni going to Britain, these stones with sails were probably from the 7th century. Of these stones with very primitive ships the stone from Naer, Rikvide presents the closest similarity with the Sparloesa Stone, but not as close at all as the Carolingian coins. The first mast in Scandinavian marine archaeology is known from around 800 AD. The motive in the bottom - a horseman: The hunting scene at the Sparloesa Stone. The motive in the bottom of the plate shows a horseman with a phrygian cap hunting or following a big spotted cat surrounded by game. Already in 2007 Bengt Nordqvist described the motive as a hunting scene and later in his web report from a journey to Byzans in 2008 he described a mosaic with an imperial hunt where hunting leopards were used. The mosaic was from around 550 AD. This spectacular way of hunting (at least in a Scandinavian view) was used in the following millenium too, and was consequently also used, when connection was established again around 800 AD between Scandinavia and the East Roman Empire. The phrygian cap was in general used in the west to symbolize men from the east - known ao. from mosaics in the churches of Ravenna. In other words is it convincingly explained by Bengt Nordqvist that the motive is a hunting scene from the imperial Byzanteen court. The dating, however can be later than the 6th century. Also the 8th century is possible due to the new connections along the Russian rivers or to an old picture brought to Scandinavia in the 6th century. The motive is probably a symbol of the sophisticated imperial court in Byzans - the East Roman Empire. The other pictures: The most interesting of the other pictures is the frieze with Greek crosses below the text at the first plate. Such crosses in a frieze are known ae. from the graves in the pagan Vendel in the 7th century, from the palace chapel of Charlemagne and from Oseberg. As Vendel and Oseberg are no Christian burials the cross must have been used for a decorative purpose by others than the Christians - which is obvious as it is one of our simplest geometrical figures. When looking at the frieze it may even appear that it shall not be regarded as crosses as the decoration can be regarded as the opposite figures too. Nordquist has shown that both the frieze and the man wearing the frieze with the text above could be from the Migration Ages (Nordqvist 2007), but they could be later too. The picture with the two snakes, a bird and an owl is close to Oseberg and "gripedyr" style from the 9th century and it is pointing against Borre and Jelling Style. Interpretation of the motives: In common the three motives at the last plate show the symbols of the highest power - the two "Roman" emperors and Valhalla - the hall of the Gods and the einherjaR. The king was simply boasting of his superior connetions - making him the right king. Just like the big runestones in Rök and Jelling. Some scholars claim that the carvings and runes could be from different centuries (except the late grafitti). It is of course a possibility, but as the centuries appear to be mixed both at the last plate with pictures only and at the other plates this theory does not solve the problem. It is obvious that many of the motives of the stone could origin from the 6th century as pointed out by Bengt Nordqvist, but as they could all be younger too, the youngest motive should be chosen for the dating - which is the ship being convincingly explained by Christer Westerdahl, the unusual style of the house and the runes. Together the three motives at the last plate indicate a dating from 780 to 830 AD - and probably in the beginning of this period before Charlemagne attacked the Danes. That is in accordance with the official scholary dating until now. It is also obvious that the cross is used in the decorations and at the ship, but as these symbols are used in pagan connections too they do not indicate that Christ was worshipped in Scandinavia at that time - the purpose could simply be decoration and a symbol of peaceful trade with the Christian emperors. Troels Brandt, December 21, 2009.