As well as the rune stones the small village of Aspa has a beautiful view of the lake – indeed this was, in ancient times, a very important place in Sweden as all of the kings would cross the river here.
Aspa lake view
Neil Hopcroft
A digital misfit
Aspa runestones
The small village of Aspa has a number of rune stones
“þura : raisþi : stin : þ–si at : ubi : buanti : sin”
“Þora ræisþi stæin þ[ann]si at Øpi, boanda sinn.”
“Þóra raised this stone in memory of Œpir, her husbandman.”
“: stain : saR:si : stanr : at : ybi : o þik*staþi : at ¶ : þuru : uar : han : uestarla : uakti : karla ¶ [sa þar] * sunr þaþ * raknasuatau(k)i(f)maR[sua]”
“Stæinn saRsi standr at Øpi a þingstaði at Þoru ver. Hann vestarla væknti(?) karla, sa þaR sunR það. …”
“This stone stands in memory of Œpir, on the Assembly-place in memory of Þóra’s husband. He armed(?) (his) men in the west. The son saw this there …”
“: hiar : stainr : stin : at : kuþan : ybis : arfa : ak : þurunaR kylu : broþurs : kuþ hialbin : at :”
“Hier stændr stæinn at goðan Øpis arfa ok ÞorunnaR, Gyllu broðurs. Guð hialpin and.”
“Here stands the stone in memory of Œpir’s and Þórunnr’s good heir, Gylla’s brother. May God help (his) spirit.”
“sloþi auk * rahnfriþ * þau * litu * biþi * bro * k(i)ara * a… * (s)…in * ra-(s)n * eftiR ihulbiarn * sun sin *”
“Sloði ok Ragnfriðr þau letu baði bro gæra o[k] s[tæ]in ræ[i]sa æftiR Igulbiorn, sun sinn.”
“Slóði and Ragnfríðr, they both had the bridge made and the stone raised in memory of Ígulbjôrn, their son.”
“ostriþ : lit : -ira : ku(m)… …usi ÷ at : anunt ÷ auk : raknualt : sun : sin ÷: urþu : ta…R : – (t)an…-…(k)u : ua-u : rikiR : o rauniki : ak : snialastiR : i : suiþiuþu”
“Astrið let [g]æra kum[bl þa]usi at Anund ok Ragnvald, sun sinn. Urðu da[uði]R [i] Dan[mar]ku, va[R]u rikiR a Rauningi ok sniallastiR i Sveþiuðu.”
“Astrid had this memorial made after Anund and Ragnvald, her son. (They) died in Denmark, were powerful in Rauningi and the ablest in Sweden.”
Runestones outside Aspa
Standing by a bridge over a brook outside Aspa stand a couple of rune stones.
Aspa stream
Outside the small village of Aspa is a brook.
Taxinge Cairn
Just outside Taxinge (“home of the young badgers”) lies a castle, but I didn’t find that. Instead I found a cairn marking a medieval burial ground.
Runtuna Kyrka Runestones
Outside Runtuna Kyrka there are a couple of rune stones, one of which is, I believe, Sö 143.
“Eyjarr lét gera kuml bæði eptir “Ingulf, son sinn. Hjalpi “Kristr ǫnd hans.”.
Runtuna Kyrka
Runtuna (Swedish) is a small parish to the north of Nyköping.
Odens berg
From the board at the site (I couldn’t find any information with Google):
“Här är ett område fullt av historia. Det börjar med Odens Berg under Järnåaldern och går from till statarnas 1930-tal.
Väster om vägen har registrerats ett 60-tal flacka gravar. Vid vägen mot Ärsta ligger ett gravfält med ett 20-tal gravhögar. Att urskilja de flacka fornlämningarna är svårt om man inte är specialist.
De flacka gravformerna tyder på att den äldsta delen i det här fornminnesområdet är det väster om vägen. Där ligger en stor kvadratisk stensättning. Den har tydliga kantstenar och har haft en rest sten i mitten.
Vid undersökningar av gravar har det visat sig att resta stenar placerades på mansgravar. Gravklot ligger följaktligen på kvinnogravar.
Fornlämningarna gränsar till den gamla fastigheten Onsberga. Den hette på 1300-talet Odensberg och tyder på forntida Odenskult här i trakten.
Odens Berg tyckte de först kristnade illa om. Namnet var ju hedniskt och hade att göra med den förkristna tron på Oden, Tor, Frö och de andra gudarna.
Gravhögarna nära Ärsta är med sin välvda form typiska för gravskicket århundradena innan kristendomen kom till landet.
Gravarna är inte utgrävda men en undersökning skulle sannolikt resultera i fynd av brända ben, keramikbitar, redskap, smycken and kanske vapen. Brandgravskicket var det vanliga under denna tid.
I närheten fanns en gård eller mindre by under järnålderns slutskede. Kanske låg den vid Ärsta där den nuvarande bebyggelsens gårdar ligger.”
Which I think means roughly:
“Here is an area full of history. That began with Odens Berg until 1930s.
West of the road are 60 flat graves. With the road to Ärsta lie a gravefield with 20 grave piles. Discerning the ancient ruins are hard without a specialist.
The flat graves indicate the oldest memorials are west of the road. There lie square stones. That have been carved and put up.
Excavations show they stand on graves. Grave spheres lie following the women.
The area shows the old border of Onsberga. The in 12th century called Odensberg after ancient Oden worshippers.
Odens Berg thought badly of the first Christians. Name was heathen and had made believe in Oden, Thor, Froe and the other gods.
Grave piles near Ärsta are made in arched form typical of graves in the centuries before Christendom game to the land.
Excavations have found a burnt leg, bits of pottery, tools, jewelry and perhaps weapons. Fire graves lay until this time.
In the vacinity was a farm until the end of the iron age. Maybe near Ärsta where the modern farm lies.”
…if anyone has any better suggestions for the translation let me know.
Edsviken lakeside
Walking back from Ulriksdal Slott along the lakeside of Lake Edsviken (Swedish).
Ulriksdal Slott
On the way back from Inverness I stopped by Ulriksdal Slott.
