The Runestone hillock

Attraction Runestones in Lund
about ½ hour The Runestone hillock is a monument created in 1868. It was a gift from the Association for Scanian Antiquities and History to Lund University 200th anniversary. The six runestones standing around the small hillock were carved during the Viking Age, in the late 900s and early thousands. They have no clear connection to the history of the Viking Age in Lund. On one of the stones, the text has been interpreted to be about some men who were part of Canute the Great's court in England, called Tingalidet. On another there is a sign that has been interpreted to symbolize a Thor's hammer.

Until 1957, there was a large stone on top of the hillock, which is therefore called the Lundgård stone (Lundagårdsstenen). This stone is said to be the tallest runestone found in the Nordic countries. The stone has a connection to the oldest Viking Age history in Lund. Now, the stone is placed in the entrance to the University Library .

The six runestones around the Runestone hillock are described in more detail further down, with information about what is written on them. The first stone described is the Valleberga stone, which is in the middle of the picture above. The other runestones are described counterclockwise in order of how they stand around the Runestone hillock.

Originally, there were five runestones around the Runestone hillock, except for the tall Lundagård stone on the top. One of the other original runestones has also been moved. That was a runestone from Örja, near Landskrona. That stone was moved into the Historical Museum here in Lund in 1876, on the initiative of the runologist Ludvig Wimmer. The Valleberga stone was placed here around the turn of the 20th century, and in 1901 the Norra Nöbbelöv stone also was placed here. So, until the Lundagård stone was removed in 1957, there were a total of seven runestones on and around the runestone hillock.

The Valleberga stone

The runestone consists of two parts that have been put together. There are runes on two sides,7 and on one of them there is also a cross. The runic inscription reads:

Sven and Torgot made these kumler (which means stones) after Manne and Svenne. God help their souls; but they are burred in London.

An interesting interpretation of the mentioned Manne and Svenne is that they may have been personal soldiers or bodyguards, in King Canute the Great's court, which was called Tingalidet. Tingalidet consisted of Nordic soldiers aimed to defend England, and was formed after Canute became king of England in 1016. Manne and Svenne may have been two of those who were killed and subsequently buried in London. The cross on the stone and the phrase "God help their souls" indicate that they, or those who raised the stone, were Christian. The stone was probably made sometime in the first half of the 11th century.

The two sides of the Valleberga Stone with runes.

The Valleberga stone was found in a field at Valleberga in southeastern Scania in the 1700s. The Danish runologist Peder Goth Thorsen found the lower part of the stone, which was then used as a post in a fence, in 1845. The upper part was found in 1869 by the archaeologist Nils Gustaf Bruzelius, who put the parts together. The stone was transported to Lund, and around the turn of the 20th century it was incorporated as a part of the Runestone hillock.

The Skivarp stone

The runestone consists of three parts that have been put together. The runic inscription reads:

Tomme raised this stone after ..., his friend

The runestone was found under the old cemetery wall in Skivarp, west of Ystad, in the mid-1800s, divided into three parts. The top of the stone was used as part of a chimney, while the two lower parts were used as part of a staircase. In 1864, the stone was put together by the archaeologist Nils Gustaf Bruzelius, who handed it over to the Association for Scanian Antiquities and History. In 1868 it was incorporated as a part of the Runestone Hillock.

The Skivarp stone.	The North Nöbbelöv stone.

The North Nöbbelöv stone

The top of the runestone is missing, but the runic inscription that can be seen on the part of the stone that is at the Runestone hillock in Lund reads:

Tove raised this stone after Omun, her friend

The runestone, which is also called the Fjelie stone, was found in one of the corners of the churchyard wall in North Nöbbelöv, north of Lund, by the archaeologist Nils Wessman in 1739. Later it was used as a boundary stone at a crossroad between the villages Nöbbelöv and Fjelie. In the 1870s, a priest paid three crowns for the stone and moved it to Fjelie vicarage. In 1901 it was transported to Lund and put on the Runestone hillock.

The Gårdstånga stone number 3

The runic inscription on the stone reads:

Asser put those stones after Tobbe …

At the top of the stone, the runic inscription ends with the unknown sign ├, by some interpreted as a symbol of a Thor's hammer. It may then have been a manifestation against Christianity, that spread northwards during the Viking Age.

In Gårdstånga, northeast of Lund, more runestones have been found. There is one more here at the Runestone hillock, therefore this runestone has been designated number 3. The stone was discovered by archaeologist Nils Gustaf Bruzelius in 1867 in the cemetery wall in Gårdstånga. At the same time, he discovered the other runestone from Gårdstånga, which also is placed here at the Runestone hillock, designated number 2.

The Gårdstånga stone number 3.	The Vallkärra stone

The Vallkärra stone

The runic inscription on the stone reads:

Tova raised these stones after Gammal, her husband, and Asser, his son

The runestone was first depicted in 1627 by the Norwegian runologist Jonas Skonvig. At that time, it stood near Vallkärra north of Lund. In the early 1800s, Nils Henrik Sjöborg, historian and professor at Lund University, visited the site. He was told about a legend about a farmer who had moved the stone and then been exposed to ghosts, and it did not stop until the stone was put back. The farmer put the stone too deep so that parts of the runic inscription were underground. This was observed by the archaeologist Nils Gustaf Bruzelius when he visited the site in the mid-1800s. The stone was later moved to Lund and placed here at the Runestone hillock, when it was created.

The Gårdstånga stone number 2

The runestone is damaged, but on two of the sides of the stone there are runic inscription which reads:

... usti and Gunnar raised these stones after the kn... and... Björn, their friends. These fighters were widely known as viking (as pirates)

More runestones have been found in Gårdstånga, northeast of Lund. This runestone was discovered by archaeologist Nils Gustaf Bruzelius in 1867 in the cemetery wall in Gårdstånga and has been designated number 2. At the same time, the second runestone from Gårdstånga was discovered, which also is here at the Runestone hillock, designated number 3.

The Gårdstånga stone number 2, provided with runes on two sides.