GP 64 Buttle kyrka

Context and Discovery
The fragment was found by Beata Böttger-Niedenzu in 1981. In 1982, Böttger-Niedenzu submitted her master’s thesis on Gotland’s picture stones to the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, and during the years 1981 to 1985, she visited the Gotlandic rural churches, discovering not fewer than 38 previously unknown picture stones, which she published in a brief catalogue in 1988. This stone is embedded into the floor of the choir, right in front of the altar. The short sides of the rectangular slab are directed to the north and south, its long sides to the east and west, with the eastern side directly neighbouring the altar stone.

Buttle church was erected as a Romanesque building with nave and apsidal choir in the second half of the 12th century, while the tower was finished in the early 13th century. In the middle of the 14th century, the old choir was pulled down and replaced by the present rectangular choir.

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Measurements, Material and Condition
The picture stone has been trimmed to rectangular shape, 1.53 m in length and 0.67 m in width. The limestone is grey, with some dark and blackish parts and red spots. The surface is a bit uneven but the bas-relief carvings are hardly worn and well discernable, which is surprising considering its exposed positioning. As a part of the monument’s root (in the south), border decoration at both long sides, an entire ship depiction, and at least one upper image panel (in the north) are preserved, the fragment has to be regarded as an almost complete picture stone. Only the edges and the head are missing.

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Description of Ornament and Images
On both long sides of the rectangular fragment, parts of the border decoration are preserved, forming a typical interlace pattern. The lowermost section of the fragment, which is placed in the south, represents a part of the undecorated root of the picture stone and is divided from the carved area by a simple line. Just above this line, an irregular zigzag band stands out against a well carved lower background, apparently representing waves of the sea. Above the waves, dominating most of the surface, a complete ship depiction is preserved. Eight crewmen are traceable with some difficulty, possibly wearing beards, shields and headgear. Each man holds a sheet which runs towards the sail, forming a confusing net of rigging. Another two ropes appear to lead from the stern to the sail. An almost vertical band just to the left of the ship, which runs downwards until it reaches the waves, could be regarded as a rudder, depicted in a similarly unusual manner as on GP 170 Halla kyrka 5. Behind the stem, on board of the ship, two vertical spears could be visible, which would be unusual as well, as those weapons are normally placed behind the stern, for instance on GP 253 Lärbro St. Hammars I, GP 397 Stenkyrka Smiss I, GP 184 Hejnum Riddare, GP 536 Vallstena kyrka, GP 21 Ardre kyrka VIII, and GP 5 Alskog Tjängvide I. The rectangular sail is framed and its rhombic decoration is formed by simply carved lines.

The upper framing of the sail also represents the bottom frame of the image panel above the ship. A small weathervane on the ship’s masthead rises up into the image panel above. Furthermore, there is a kind of vertical extension leading from the vane to the upper frame of the panel, dividing it into two halves. This panel, which is completely preserved, depicts two confronting groups of bearded men with raised swords. It is difficult to trace them in all details. However, there appear to be three or four swordsmen to the right (east) and four or five warriors to the left (west) of the weathervane. According to an entry in the inventory book of RAÄ dating to 1982 (Tillägg: Dnr 1860/82 82-08-04), there is a depiction of men hanging in a tree somewhere located above the ship. This suggestion traces back to Eric Nylén (according to a letter addressed to Jan Peder Lamm dating to the 26th of April 1982, kept in ATA, RAGU 55/82). However, it is by no means verifiable and appears to be based on inappropriate inspection methods.

Above the fighting scene, approximately the lower half of a third image panel is preserved. According to Böttger-Niedenzu, the only discernable depictions are a zigzag band in the left and some vertical elements in the right half of the panel. However, on the basis of RTI technology, Oehrl (2019a, p. 90, pls. 58b–c) was able to identify a strange-looking toothed object, almost crown-like, in the right half of the panel, just above the group of swordsmen. The same enigmatic object appears to occur on GP 244 Lokrume kyrka, hovering above the head of a male figure (i.e., the rightmost figure on the image panel above the ship). An almost identical shape is depicted on GP 341 Sanda kyrka I, behind a group of three men with different tools or weapons in their hands, forming a kind of procession. A disc-shaped object is placed right above the ʻcrownʼ. Last but not least, such a crown-like object can be seen on the Late Viking Age rune stone from Hargs skog in Uppland (U 595), where it is also placed under a disc-shaped object, which is held by two human figures. The crown-shaped object has been interpreted as a depiction of fire, its prongs representing flames (Jungner 1930, pp. 67–69; Lindqvist 1941/42 II p. 109; Jansson/Wessén 1940–1958 vol. 2, p. 497; Plassmann 1959, p. 244; Arrhenius 1961, pp. 152–153; Lindqvist 1964, p. 76).

SO
GP 170 Halla kyrka 5
GP 253 Lärbro Stora Hammars I
GP0397
GP 184 Hejnum Riddare
GP 536 Vallstena kyrka
GP 21 Ardre kyrka VIII
GP 5 Alskog Tjängvide I
GP 244 Lokrume kyrka
GP 341 Sanda kyrka I

Interpretation of the Imagery
No interpretation

Type and Dating
The fragment certainly represents a Type C/D stone, dating to between the 8th century and the 10th century. The arrangement of a group of sword bearing warriors just above the sail might be comparable to GP 184 Hejnum Riddare, which belongs to Lindqvist’s so-called Lärbro group. The strange form and positioning of the rudder is reminiscent of GP 170 Halla kyrka 5, and a comparable weather vane rising up into the upper panel is depicted on GP 397 Stenkyrka Smiss I.
GP 184 Hejnum Riddare
GP 170 Halla kyrka 5
GP0397

References
Böttger-Niedenzu 1988, pp. 3–4, drawing 1; Oehrl 2019a, pp. 40, 90, 287, pls. 58a–c.

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