ramsund carving

The Ramsund carving also known as the Sigurd carving is a runic carving with the official name Sdermanlands runinskrifter 101. The carving is not quite a rune stone as it is not carved into a stone, but into a flat rock close to Ramsund, Eskilstuna Municipality, Sudermannia, Sweden. It is belived to have been carved around year 1000. The carving clearly depicts the story of Sigurd in the Volsunga saga in its nordic form. It is generally considered an important piece of norse art. The runic words in the carving reads:

siriR kiari bur osi muiR alriks tutiR urms fur salu hulmkirs faur sukruar buata sis

Which translates into rougly:

Sigrir, Alrikr's mother, Ormr's daughter, made this bridge for the soul of Holmgeirr, father of Sigrur, her husbandman

The writing is ambiguous, but the general interpretation, based on carvings on other rune stones found nearby, is that Sigrir (a woman) was the wife of Sigrur who has died. Holmgeirr is her father in law. Alrikr has erected another stone for his father, named Spjut, so even though Alrikr is the son of Sigrir, he was not the son of Sigrur.

Ramsund Carving

See also