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Lilla Vilunda runestones

viking Age memorial runestones in Upplands Väsby, Stockholm County, Sweden

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 6, 2024
Entity authorityQ6547961 ↗
Source-derived summary

The Lilla Vilunda runestones are three Viking Age memorial runestones that were erected by members of the same family and which are located at Lilla Vilunda (also known as Stallgatan) in Upplands Väsby, Stockholm County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Uppland.

U 293

Runic inscription U 293 is the Rundata catalog number for an inscription on a gneiss stone that is 1.8 meters in height. This stone was identified during the runestone surveys conducted in Sweden during the 17th century by Johannes Bureus and Johannes Rhezelius. The inscription consists of runic text carved on a serpent that encloses a Christian cross. The inscription is classified as being carved in runestone style Pr3 or Pr4, which is also known as Urnes style. This runestone style is characterized by slim and stylized animals that are interwoven into tight patterns. The animal heads are typically seen in profile with slender almond-shaped eyes and upwardly curled appendages on the noses and the necks. For stylistic reasons, the inscription has been attributed to the runemaster Visäte, who was active during the last half of the 11th century in southern Uppland. Eight surviving runestones that are signed by Visäte include U 74 in Husby, U 208 in Råcksta, U 236 in Lindö, U 337 in Granby, U 454 in Kumla, U 669 in Kålsta, U 862 in Säva, and U Fv1946;258 in Fällbro, and over twenty others have been attributed to this runemaster based on stylistic analysis.

The runic text states that the stone is a memorial raised by two brothers named Forkunnr and Þórir in memory of their father Ketill.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Lilla Vilunda runestones” as viking Age memorial runestones in Upplands Väsby, Stockholm County, Sweden. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Lilla, Vilunda and runestones.

Editorial reviewMost useful as a place-based finding aid connecting the present description to earlier jurisdictions, maps and built evidence. The current 267-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Lilla, Vilunda and runestones providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Lilla Vilunda runestones”, the useful work is to connect “viking Age memorial runestones in Upplands Väsby, Stockholm County, Sweden” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 6, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q6547961. Authority coordinates are 59.514, 17.905. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.

Critical limits

Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. 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

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Lilla Vilunda runestones”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Lilla Vilunda runestones primary sources, Lilla Vilunda runestones archive and Lilla research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Lilla Vilunda runestones”?
  2. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
  3. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Lilla Vilunda runestones” 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.