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U 344 Orkesta kyrka


[U344, photo]

Original

in ulfr hafiR onklati ' ?ru kialtakat ?it uas fursta ?is tusti ka - t ' ?a - - - - ?urktil ' ?a kalt knutr

[The inscription]

Transcription

En UlfR hafiR [a] Ænglandi ?ry giald takit. ?et vas fyrsta ?e[t]'s Tosti galt. ?a [galt] ?orkætill. ?a galt Knutr.

Swedish

Men Ulv har i England tagit tre gälder. Den var det första, som Toste gäldade. Sedan gäldade Torkel. Sedan gäldade Knut.

English

But Ulv has in England taken three tributes. It was the first, that Toste payed. Then payed Torkel. Then payed Knut.

The stone was part of a building, from where it was taken in the 19:th century and is now placed just outside the Orkesta church. It stands 2.50 m tall. The inscription is written with reversed runes.

Most liklely U 336, U 343 and U 344 were standing on Bårresta's land.

This stone is together with U 343 to the memory of Ulv. The inscription on U 343 is of the ordinary type and is as follows:

Karse and ... they let raise this stone after Ulv, their father. God and God's mother help his ...

U 344 tells about his feats. He has been in England and no less than three times received payment (danegeld) for not plundering. Knut is almost certainly Knut the Great, and it is likely that Torkel is the Joms Vikings chief who came to England in 1009. Toste cannot be positively identified with a historical person, but may be Skoglar-Toste. Knut's geld was payed to the Nordic troops in 1018.


Text written by: Ingrid Karlmar and Urban Fredriksson
Home of original: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/1568/

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