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Om Lyngby-fragmentet og følelsesladede runeindskrifter

Abstract

The existence of a fragment of a rune-stone from Lyngby church in North Jutland has been known ever since 1769. The runic sequence ...–untr : a : aisku : sina :, which probably represents the final words of the inscription is left unexplained by Danmarks Runeindskrifter 1941-42 and in the databases which are based on this: Samnordisk runtext-databas and Danske Runeinskrifter. At the turn of the century, however, there was a lengthy discussion about possible interpretations of the inscription which – although generally neglected – has found its way into the indices of DR. The present article reassesses the possible interpretations. It rejects the proposed interpretation of sinni m. »follower«, both in the Lyngby inscription and in an inscription from Ivla in Småland, Sm44. Instead of this the investigation supports an earlier suggestion of a hitherto unrecorded runic personal designation ælska »beloved one, betrothed« and follows this with a survey of the way in which inscriptions on Viking-age rune-stones refer to deceased women. Finally, a new interpretation is proposed »...[and] (?)Anundr/-mundr/-gundr in memory of his (?) beloved«.