GP 83 Fole kyrka

Context and Discovery ⓘ
There is almost no information available about the find circumstances. Lindqvist (1941/42 II, p. 44) only notes that the fragment was submitted to Gotlands Museum in 1919 by the elementary school teacher William Kupper. Only Lindqvist’s designation of the stone “Fole, Kirchhofsmauer” indicates that it was found incorporated into or perhaps leaning against the wall of the churchyard. Surprisingly, Jan Peder Lamm notes instead that the stone was discovered less than 100 m away from GP 84 Fole St. Tollby (Lamm/Nylén 2003, p. 183). This information appears to be based on a misunderstanding. However, it cannot be verified.
GP 84 Fole St. Tollby

Measurements, Material and Condition ⓘ
“Limestone slab, up to 7 cm thick. The obverse probably naturally even, later abraded in places by footsteps. The narrow sides hewn at right angles towards the obverse; between them, a narrow chamfer occurs below the stone’s corners. The reverse is rough and unworked. The fragment is preserved to a height of about 61 cm. Width between the corners 61 cm; the width of the neck once was about 42 cm” (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 44). The fragment represents the entire head of a small picture stone as well as a small part of the lower image field.

Description of Ornament and Images ⓘ
Lindqvist provides pictures of the painted and the unpainted stone, which give a good idea of how the well-preserved carvings and the worn and polished parts look (1941/42 I, figs. 49, 51–52; cf. ATA 1648:37 [H. Faith-Ell 1933]). In addition, an unpublished drawing by Olof Sörling and a photo taken in 1920 by Lindqvist are kept in ATA (Run- och bildstenssamling). Lindqvist (1941/42 II, p. 44) describes the carvings as follows: “The band patterns are brought out by the chiselling-down of the background fields in a Kerbschnitt-like technique. Also, the background field surrounding the ship has been carved down in places and has an uneven surface. The double-framed border encloses a debased three-strand interlace pattern. In the field below the neck, there is an interlace pattern, above it, a ship with steep and towering stems that bend outwards almost at right angles, as well as a sail decorated with an interlace pattern on a clearly depicted yardarm.” Whether the interlace pattern forming the ship’s sail could indicate a certain manufacturing technique of Late Iron Age sails (weaving) has been discussed (e.g. Varenius 1992, p. 63).

Interpretation of the Imagery ⓘ
There are more Type B picture stones on which interlace patterns occur not only as border decoration but as a central motif of the image field – GP 249 Lärbro Norder-Ire I, GP 193 Hellvi Ire III and GP 74 Endre skog. In those cases, the interlace could bear a symbolic meaning, and an apotropaic intention should be taken into consideration. The conception of knot, net and interlace patterns as being magical protective devices against all kinds of harm – fettering, capturing and caging the evil in their impenetrable web – is widespread and well documented in Antiquity and the Middle Ages, and has also been discussed regarding Late Iron Age Scandinavia (e.g. Scheftelowitz 1912; Weigert 1938; Wessel 1971; Zischka 1977; Kitzinger 1993; Graf 2010, 29–35; Wamers 2008, 52–54; Oehrl 2011a, pp. 265–288; Oehrl 2019a, p. 123).
GP 249 Lärbro Norder-Ire I
GP 193 Hellvi Ire III
GP 74 Endre skog

Type and Dating ⓘ
Middle type picture stone, i.e., Type B according to Lindqvist’s typology, dating to between AD 500 and 700. The stone belongs to those Type B stones described by Lindqvist (1941/42 I, pp. 38–39) as ʻdwarf stonesʼ with convex head and strongly pronounced corners protruding horizontally. He assigns it to the Sandegårdagruppe, named after GP 340 Sanda Sandegårda I, which is characterized by the shape described above and rich decoration. In Rundkvist’s typology (2012, p. 160), the stone belongs to group dwarf 2, dating to the Early Vendel Period. According to Lindqvist (1941/42 I, p. 65), the unusual sailing ship depicted on the Fole stone represents the Larsarvetypus, named after the ship depiction on GP 77 Eskelhem Larsarve I. Varenius (1992, appendix 2) assigns it to his group 2 (enkel rigg), which he dates to the period between the 7th and the 9th century. Lindqvist compares the interlace pattern of Fole kyrka and other middle-type picture stones with the decoration of Vendel Period brooches to support his dating of ʻAbschnittʼ B (ibid. p. 116).
GP 340 Sanda Sandegårda I
GP 77 Eskelhem Larsarve I

References ⓘ
Lindqvist 1941/42 I, pp. 36–37, 65, 116, fig. 42; II, p. 44; Varenius 1992, p. 63, fig. 23; Guber 2011, p. 117 cat. no. 15.

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