Sigurd stones
group of runic inscriptions in Sweden
The Sigurd stones form a group of eight or nine Swedish runic inscriptions (five or six runestones, two natural rocks, and a baptismal font) and one picture stone that depict imagery from the Germanic heroic legend of Sigurd the dragon slayer. They were made during the Viking Age and constitute the earliest Norse representations of the matter of the Völsung cycle that is the basis of the Middle High German Nibelungenlied and the Sigurd legends in the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, and the Völsunga saga.
In addition, the figure of Sigurd sucking the dragon's blood from his thumb appears on several carved stones in parts of Great Britain with strong Scandinavian cultural influence: at Ripon and Kirby Hill, North Yorkshire, at York and at Halton, Lancashire, and carved slates from the Isle of Man, broadly dated c. 950–1000, include several pieces interpreted as showing episodes from the Sigurd story.
Other depictions include wooden carvings from the Hylestad Stave Church.
Uppland
U 1163
This runestone is in runestone style Pr2. It was found in Drävle (ancient kingdom of Fjärdhundraland), but in 1878 it was moved to its current location in the courtyard of the nearby manor house of Revelsta, called Göksbo (ʻthe cuckooʼs nestʼ). Its imagery shows Sigurd thrusting his sword through the dragon Fafnir (the lindworm or serpent band containing the runic inscription), the dwarf Andvari, and the valkyrie Sigrdrífa offering a drinking horn to Sigurd.
The runestone has a stylized Christian cross, as do a number of other Sigurd stones: U 1175, Sö 327, Gs 2, and Gs 9. The combination of crosses with Sigurd images is taken as evidence of acceptance and use of legends from the Völsung cycle by Christianity during the transition period from Norse paganism.
Latin transliteration:
uiþbiurn × ok : karlunkr : ok × erinker : ok × nas(i) × litu × risa × stii × þina × eftir × eriibiun × f[aþu]r × sii × snelan
Old Norse transcription:
Viðbiorn ok Karlungʀ ok Æringæiʀʀ/Æringærðr ok Nasi/Næsi letu ræisa stæin þenna æftiʀ Ærinbiorn, faður sinn sniallan.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Sigurd stones” as group of runic inscriptions in Sweden. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as group of runic inscriptions in Sweden. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 25, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q2326853. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1000, 1163, 1878 and 1175.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Sigurd stones”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Sigurd stones primary sources, Sigurd stones archive and Sigurd research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Sigurd stones”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Sigurd stones” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.