GP 563 Väte kyrka 2

Context and Discovery
In 1983, Beata Böttger-Niedenzu discovered two previously unknown picture stones in the choir floor of Väte church. Böttger-Niedenzu, who submitted her master’s thesis on Gotland’s picture stones to the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich in 1982, went through the Gotlandic rural churches during the years 1981 to1985 and discovered no fewer than 38 new picture stones, which she published in a brief catalogue in 1988.

Both stones from Väte church were re-used as floor slabs in the altar room, which was built around 1300. Picture stone no. 2 was lying directly east of (i.e., just behind) the altar. Stone no. 1 instead was placed approximately 1.5 m south-east of the altar, next to the stone steps located in the south-east corner of the room. However, the measurements of stone no. 2 as well as its traces of abrasion suggest that the slab was formerly been (re)used as doorstep of the portal to the sacristy at the north side of the choir (ATA dnr 2374/92). The sacristy was built together with the choir around 1300. The portal to the sacristy includes spolia from a 12th century church building, probably originating from a former church’s choir portal. Whether the picture stone was part of the 12th century church portal or not, however, must remain an open question.

In any case, the picture stone seems to have been incorporated into the portal to the sacristy around 1300 and sometime later moved into the floor of the altar room. In 1986, in the course of a restoration of the altar, both stones were uncovered completely and moved to the western part of the church, where they are located today (see V; ATA dnr 2374/92; Ämbetsarkivet, K2, Fotografisamlingen, Gotland, Väte sn, KB, RVIII:556 and PVIII:752 [93-108-15 and 93-108-3]).

Measurements, Material and Condition
Before it was re-used as building material, the large limestone slab was reworked to a rectangular piece, which was 1.36 m high, 0.84 m wide and 0.12 m thick. The surface is worn by footsteps; however, the relief on the left half of the stone is relatively well preserved in certain parts, while the right half of the slab is almost totally polished. When Böttger-Niedenzu discovered the stone in 1983, it was placed between the altar and the apse wall, and the polished right half of the monument was covered by a radiator. In this position, such heavy abrasion was impossible to occur. Thus, the stone must have been used previously at another location. Since 1986, both picture stones originating from the choir floor – Väte kyrka 2 and GP 564 Väte kyrka 1 – are exhibited inside the western part of the church, next to the tower portal. They are attached to the wall directly left of the organ, side by side, by means of four metal holders each.

The carved or chiseled background planes of the bas-relief are remarkably dark or even black in color, which seems to be an effect of microbial infestation rather than a result of soiling. In the top part of the rectangular slab, disturbing both the horizontal border and the horse scene, a square hole of circa 5x5 cm is placed, containing the stump of a wooden beam from a more recent re-use.
GP 564 Väte kyrka 1

Description of Ornament and Images
The inner line of the edge border decoration is preserved on both side edges of the slab. In the upper left corner, this narrow strip is slightly bent outwards, indicating the head part of a mushroom-shaped monument. There are also some remains of the actual border decoration, an interlace pattern, preserved on both sides of the slab, in particular, on its left. Thus, almost the entire original width of the monument is preserved, except for the edge border pattern, which might have been about 0.10 m wide in total. However, it is likely that a large part of the stone’s lower section is missing.

Two horizontal borders divide the remaining surface into three panels. The upper one, dividing the head panel from the large neck panel below, is decorated with a simple step pattern. The lower border is undecorated but framed by two horizontal narrow strips. In the right half of the stone, which is strongly worn, it is very difficult to identify any remains of the relief figures. In the left half instead, at least some parts of the figurative motifs just next to the panel’s left end are easily discernable.

The head part preserves the hind legs and the tail of a horse. Between the horse’s legs, a spike-like triangle is depicted, pointing upwards. Seemingly, the horse is stepping over this barrier. A rectangular field directly behind the horse remains unclear.

The large neck panel in the middle of the preserved stone, whose height is completely preserved, depicts the left half of a sailing ship with a relatively small, chequered sail. Parts of the rigging are preserved as well, in particular, a relatively broad diagonal strip, apparently coming from the ship’s hull and crossing the sail. The left end of the ship’s hull including the stem are clearly visible, as well as remains of two simplified crew members onboard. Beneath the vessel, placed on the panel’s baseline, a row of triangles pointing upwards obviously represents the waves of the sea. A strange curved and axe-like element is depicted directly to the left side of the ship’s sail. A corresponding figure is also placed next to the ship on GP 95 Garda kyrka 7. A similar but much smaller object is depicted on GP 433 Stenkyrka kyrka 11, next to the human being’s face.

In the lowest panel, an almost vertical line can be seen, whose top end bends to the right. The line is decorated with a row of spike-like triangles pointing to the left. A horizontal staff to the right, probably a spear, points at the spiked structure, seemingly flying towards the vertical line of triangles (Böttger-Niedenzu 1988, p. 19). In the heavily worn area to the right, there is a similar but roughly horizontal line decorated with upward-pointing spike-like triangles, placed near the lower edge of the panel (ibid.). The left end of this line bends upwards. As a result of a re-examination of the stone surface in 2013, Oehrl assumes that both lines of triangles are part of an upside-down U-shaped structure, probably a kind of enclosure or simplified building, which is covered and decorated with spike-like elements. A similar depiction of a building, represented by a simple upside-down U-shaped frame, can be seen on GP 3 Alskog kyrka. Comparable are also the upside-down U-shaped hall buildings on the prominent monuments GP 5 Alskog Tjängvide I and GP 21 Ardre kyrka VIII. All three stones are assigned by Lindqvist to his ʻTjängvide-Gruppeʼ.
GP 95 Garda kyrka 7
GP 433 Stenkyrka kyrka 11
GP 3 Alskog kyrka
GP 5 Alskog Tjängvide I
GP0021

Interpretation of the Imagery
Concerning the interpretation of the horseman and ship motifs on Gotlandic picture stones, see GP 5 Alskog Tjängvide I, GP 21 Ardre kyrka VIII, GP 94 Garda Bote, GP 209 Klinte Hunninge I, GP 212 Klinte Hunninge IV (Klintebys), and GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs III. Both motifs, horseman and ship, are commonly regarded as depicting the deceased’s journey and arrival in the world of the dead. In this context, triangles between the horse’s legs, as depicted on the Väte stone, are interpreted as representations of the barrier dividing the world of the living from the world of the dead, a simplified fence, gate or grid (Lindqvist 1941/42 vol. I, p. 99; Weber 1973, p. 95). Such a barrier is mentioned in Old Norse literature, in the relatively young (12th/13th century?) eddic poems Grímnismál (stanza 22, valgrindr) and Lokasenna (stanza 63, nágrindr) as well as in Snorri’s Gylfaginning from about 1220 (cap. 49, helgrindr). According to Snorri, Óðinn’s son Hermóðr, riding on his father’s horse Sleipnir, jumps over this very fence in order to reach the realm of Hel (Faulkes 2005, p. 47).

The possible building decorated with spikes in the bottom panel is quite unusual. If the upside-down U-shaped depiction represents a kind of domed architecture, as in the case of some picture stones of the ʻTjängvide-Gruppeʼ (see VI), its spike-like decoration and connection with a spear could perhaps be compared to buildings shown on the tapestries from Oseberg (AD 834) and Överhogdal (between AD 1040 and 1170, concerning the dating see Possnert 2010). On both wall hangings, simplified architecture can be seen, whose roof is decorated by longish and pointed elements, obviously spears. In the case of Överhogdal, a runic titulus calls this very building [--] ˟kuþbu, which means [...] guðbú ʻhome of the godsʼ, probably Sē guðbú ʻSee [here] the home of the godsʼ, (Peterson 2006, pp. 157–159, figs. 57–58). This is reminiscent of the description of Óðinn’s great hall Valhǫll in the eddic poem Grímnismál (stanza 9 – Neckel/Kuhn 1983, p. 59), saying that the roof of this building is constructed of spears as rafters and thatched with shields (Wikman 1996, p. 33; Horneij 1991, pp. 140–141 instead argues that the building represents the Holy City of Jerusalem; regarding Oseberg: Vedeler 2019, pp. 97–100). The dating of the poem’s stanzas is controversial – late pagan period, which means 11th century, or close to the time of the manuscript, which is 12th or even early 13th century (e.g. Egeler 2013a). Imaginably, the depiction on the Väte stone also represents a strongly simplified hall building covered with spears or spearheads, perhaps Valhǫll. Thus, the stone perhaps presented the journey of the dead – on horseback and by ship on the head and neck part – and their final destination.
GP 5 Alskog Tjängvide I
GP0021
GP0094
GP0209
GP 212 Klinte Hunninge (IV) (Klintebys)
GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs III

Runic Context and Comments
Probably no inscription. However, the lower horizontal border is framed but undecorated, which possibly indicates that an inscription or ornament was intended or perhaps executed only with paint. The same type of border serves as inscription band on the stones GP 171 Hangvar kyrka III, GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs III, GP 111 Gothem kyrka 4, and GP 5 Alskog Tjängvide I.
GP0171
GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs III
GP0111
GP 5 Alskog Tjängvide I

Type and Dating
Tall mushroom-shaped late-type picture stone, i.e., Type C/D according to Lindqvistʼs typology. Those monuments can only be roughly dated to the period between the 8th century and the 10th century. A horse motif on the top field and a ship in the panel directly below (which means in the middle part of the monument and not at the bottom, as usual) is characteristic of a small group of Type C monuments from Klinte parish, called ʻKlinte-Gruppeʼ by Lindqvist. Cf. GP 209 Klinte Hunninge I, GP 210 Klinte Hunninge II, and GP 212 Klinte Klintebys (which also bears a simple step pattern, as the upper horizontal border on the Väte stone). Cf. also GP 211 Klinte Hunninge III which by Lindqvist, however, is considered a Type D monument. Klinte is only about 12 km away from Väte church.
GP0209
GP 210 Klinte Hunninge II (Klinteberget)
GP 212 Klinte Hunninge (IV) (Klintebys)
GP 211 Klinte Hunninge III

References
Böttger-Niedenzu 1988, pp. 17–19, drawing 7, figs. 1–2; Oehrl 2019a, p. 228, pls. 46c–e.

mer grejer

Find Context

The Stone

Carvings

Detailed Information

Svensk sammanfattning

Identification

Links

Export

More media

Plane	Position	Flip