Varangian Biker

Tillinge, Uppland, Sweden

U 785 stands by the west wall of the church in Tillinge, west of the town Enköping.

It was used as a corner stone in the church, and parts of the inscription has been lost.

Inscription

uifas-- ... : risi : stin : dtinA : ub : at : k-dmunt : brudur : sin : han : uard : tudr : a : srklant- kud halbi : ant : ans

Transliteration

uifas-- … : risa : s"tin : þ"t!ino : ub : at : k-þmunt : bruþur : sin : han : uarþ : tuþr : a : srklant- kuþ halbi : ant : ans

Old norse transcription

Véfas[tr] [lét] reisa stein þenna upp at G[u]ðmund, bróður sinn. Hann varð dauðr á Serkland[i]. Guð hjalpi ǫnd hans.

Translation

“Vifast had this stone raised up in memory of Gudmund, his brother. He died in Serkland. May God help his spirit.”

Description and style period

The viking age runestone U 785 at Tillinge church west of Enköping. It is made of gray granite and is 1.7 meters tall and 0.8-1 meter wide. The inscription is inside a serpent with a head seen from the side. Based on the style period categorization by Anne-Sophie Gräslund this runestone should be Pr1/Ringerike style which dates the stone to ca. 1010-1050. There is no cross on the stone, even though the inscription has a Christian prayer.

It has been raised after a man called Gudmund who died in Serkland. Possibly during the viking expedition by Ingvar the Far-Travelled or another expedition to the same area near the Caspian Sea. It is also possible that he worked as a varangian guard in the Byzantine empire.

Location

Photos

References

• Scandinavian Runic-text Database latest, “Runic inscription U 785 ”, Department of Scandinavian Languages, Uppsala University.