Runes in Sweden

by Sven Birger Fredrik Jansson, Peter Foote (Translator), Bengt A. Lundberg (Photographer)

New The Bedminster Press, 1962 More than 3,000 runic inscriptions are known from Sweden-nearly 4 times as many as are known from the rest of the Germanic world. They tell about Viking raids, ventures in trade, events in farming communities, and the introduction of Christianity. They are at one time terse and poetic. From the collection of Sanje (Frank) Elliott, Buddhist mentor, artist, and friend to many. Condition 165 numbered pp +3; HB w/DJ. clean, bright, tight, map frontis; all edges sunned, top edge a bit dusty, gift inscription inked to first free end page. black cloth, runestone blind stamped front, white/blue/gray titles spine; minimal shelfwear. clipped, white/blue, runestone and blue/white titles front, black/blue/white titles spine; modest edge/shelfwear, extrems a bit worn, small closed tear to back joint at head, spine and adjacent boards mildly sunned.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

187 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Hon Lady Selene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uppland Rune 489, see here.

This particular runestone was originally located in Morby, Uppland and it is now located at Uppsala University Park.

It is an unusual one, for it is a memorial sponsored by a woman for a woman, less than 1% of all runes:

Gullaug let gæra bro fyr and Gillaugaʀ dottur sinnaʀ ok sum atti Ulfʀ. Øpiʀ risti.

"Gullaug had the bridge made for the spirit of Gillaug, her daughter, and whom Ulfr owned (i.e. was married to). Öpir carved."

Bridge-building is a common reference in runestone inscriptions, as it is related to the spirit passing the bridge into the afterlife as well as coinciding with the Catholic Church sponsoring the building of roads and bridges in return for intercession for the soul.

[Joseph F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have about 20 books on runes, but this is probably the most beautiful. It is in essence a pictorial survey of the thousands of rune stones that dot the Swedish landscape. Most of these are of the Viking age. Being that there are so many of these the book really just skims the surface, focusing on certain key rune stones, what they say, and the relevance they have in recovering Swedish/Scandinavian history. The book unfortunately does not talk about the different art styles that the rune stones are sometimes divided into. Also, for those of us who like to see how well we can transliterate the runes into the Latin alphabet, the author does not print any of the runes before transliterating them. But the photos are so clear, you can usually read the runes right off the stones.
This is not the book for those who want to delve into the origins, names, meanings and magical uses of the runes, but for those who have an appreciation of the lovely artistry that these ancient carvers have left us.

[E.T. Gunnarsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Runes in Sweden" by Sven Birger Fredrik Jansson provides a fascinating look into the large runic tradition in Swedish culture. It covers many of the runestones in Sweden. It supplies clear photos (photographer Bengt A. Lundberg) of the runestones and contains what each one says in literal translation to letters, the words in Old Norse, and the translation.

Quickly becoming one of my favorite rulebooks, I recommend this to anyone interested in Swedish runes and the broad period in which they were used. If one is a serious academic in such topics, I would consider this a great book.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mycket tät och informativ med original text och översättningar samt bilder

[Emelie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fick läsa den här boken genom en kurs jag gick i runskrift, via Uppsala universitet.
Det var den enda boken vi läste från pärm till pärm, vilket talar för vad universitetet tycker om boken.
Jag själv har inte läst någon annan i ämnet, så jag har inget att jämföra den med. Men den kändes grundlig, och i stunder var den rolig. Dock kunde den kännas lite korvstoppad emellanåt.

Innehåller måånga översatta skrifter.