The Karlevi Runestone, designated as Öl 1 by Rundata, is commonly dated to the late 10th century and located near the Kalmarsund straight in Karlevi on the island of Öland, Sweden. It is one of the most notable and prominent runestones and constitutes the oldest record of a stanza of skaldic verse.
Description
The runic inscription on the Karlevi Runestone is partly in prose, partly in verse. It is the only example of a complete scaldic stanza preserved on a runestone and is composed in the "lordly meter" the dróttkvætt. It is notable for mentioning Thor's daughter Þrúðr and Viðurr, one of the names for Odin, in kennings for "chieftain." In the second half of the stanza a reference is made to Denmark, but it is not clear what exactly this means in this poetic context.
The stone is contemporary with the Battle of the Fýrisvellir and it is consequently possible that the stone was raised by warriors who partook in it, in memory of their lord.
The inscription, which is on a granite stone that is 1.4 meters in height, is classified as being in runestone style RAK. This is the classification with inscriptions with runic text in bands that have no attached dragon or serpent heads and the ends of the runic bands are straight. The non-runic inscription on the reverse side appears to be accompanied by a small Christian cross and a Norse pagan Thor's hammer, or Mjöllnir. Other surviving runestones or inscriptions depicting Thor's hammer include runestones U 1161 in Altuna, Sö 86 in Åby, Sö 111 in Stenkvista, Vg 113 in Lärkegapet, DR 26 in Laeborg, DR 48 in Hanning, DR 120 in Spentrup, and DR 331 in Gårdstånga.
Inscription
Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters, and transcription into Old Norse (the Swedish-Danish dialect):
+
s-a...
S[t]æ[inn]
--(s)-
[sa]s[i]
i(a)s
es
*
satr
sattr
*
aiftir
æftiʀ
*
si(b)(a)
Sibba
*
kuþa
Goða,
*
sun
sun
*
fultars
Fuldars,
*
in
en
hons
hans
**
liþi
liði
*
sati
satti
*
at
at
*
u
...
*
-ausa-þ-...
...
+:
fulkin
Fulginn
:
likr
liggʀ
:
hins
hinns
:
fulkþu
fylgðu,
:
flaistr
flæstr
(:)*
uisi
vissi
*
þat
þat,
*
maistar
mæstaʀ
*
taiþir
dæðiʀ
:
tulka
dolga
*
þruþar
Þruðaʀ
:
traukr
draugʀ
:
i
i
:
þaimsi
þæimsi
*
huki
haugi;
*
munat
munat
:
raiþ:uiþur
Ræið-Viðurr
:
raþa
raða
:
ruk:starkr
rogstarkʀ
*
i
i
*
tanmarku
Danmarku
:
--ntils
[Æ]ndils
:
iarmun**kruntar
iarmungrundaʀ
:
urkrontari
uʀgrandaʀi
:
lonti
landi.
The latter part of the inscription is metrical, and represents the following stanza:
Folginn liggr hinn's fylgðu,
—flestr vissi þat—mestar
dǽðir, dolga Þrúðar
draugr, í þeimsi haugi;
munat reið-Viðurr ráða,
rógstarkr, í Danmǫrku,
Endils jǫrmungrundar,
ørgrandari, landi.
In literal translation:
A more idiomatic English translation of the poetic stanza is provided by Foote and Wilson:
The reverse side of the stone also has a non-runic inscription In nomin[e] (?) Ie[su] (?) which may mean "In the name of Jesus."