Runstenar och runristare i det vikingatida Fjädrundaland : En studie i attribuering : eine Studie in Attribuierung

Sammanfattning: The main purpose of this dissertation is to attribute all rune-carvings from the late Viking Age in a small area in central Sweden, Fjädrundaland.Notation and terminology are discussed exhaustively and a suggestion is proffered regarding how runic texts should be rendered. The 163 carvings that make up the material are presented, and in several cases new readings and interpretations are proposed. The carvings are treated on the basis of criteria from four areas: ornamentation, rune forms, orthography, and formulation. Ornamentation is seen in the perspective of stylistic development, which makes it possible to place the carvings in chronological order. The forms of the runes are described on the basis of a model involving a small number of easily distinguishable variants. The orthographic analysis is founded on a comparison with a normalized form of Rune-Swedish. It is evident that the names of therunes have to a large extent affected the rune-carvers' choice of orthography. Four types of formulas meet in the inscriptions: commemorative formulas, supplemental formulas, prayer formulas, and executor formulas. The study shows that solitary names at the end of texts often refer to those commissioning the stones.The relative weight of the various criteria in attributing stones is discussed. The criteria are then applied to the material. The largest proportion of inscriptions in the area can be attributed to 14 different rune-carvers. Four of these, Balli, Eiríkr, Lifsteinn, and Tíðkumi, produced the majority of the carvings in the area. Four carvings, known only through notes recorded by Richard Dybeck, turn out to be probable forgeries. Of the four most prominent carvers in the area, Eiríkr, and Balli are the earliest. Lifsteinn should be seen as a younger associate to Tíðkumi.