GP 132 Hablingbo Havor I

Context and Discovery ⓘ
According to a letter from the finder Mårten Petterson to Hans Hildebrand dated November 22nd, 1881, the picture stone was found the same year during gravel extraction in the cemetery of Havor, Hablingbo parish, and was sent to Statens Historiska Museum in Stockholm at the request of Fredrik Nordin. Pettersson, who was living on the farm the Stora Havor, had already discovered artefacts from a grave in the cemetery a few years earlier and sold them to Gabriel Gustafson. The purchase of the grave inventory in 1877 and the discovery of the image stone four years later prompted Gustafson to apply to Kungliga Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien for funds to excavate the Havor cemetery, which took place between 1884–1888 (Toplak, in press).

The cemetery of Havor lies in the southern part of Gotland, on the southern banks of the former lake and later moorland of Mästermyr, on the northern outskirts of Hablingbo parish, some kilometres east of the western shore of Gotland. The area, which today is widely forested, stretches around 750 meters from east-northeast to west-southwest on a gravel ridge. Around 260 of approximately 370 registered graves were excavated, dating from the Pre-Roman Iron Age to the late Viking Age, with a hiatus in the late Vendel Period and the Early Viking Age (Nylén 1955, pp. 61–64; Toplak, in press). The north-eastern and probably oldest part of the cemetery was heavily disturbed by gravel extraction from the middle of the 19th century onwards, which led to the discovery of the picture stone Hablingbo Havor I, and the extent as well as the original number of burials in this area remain uncertain. Some smaller groups of graves can be found at the southwestern periphery of the cemetery, either constituting the outer edges of the burial area or belonging to separate cemeteries. The cemetery at Havor is part of a unique complex with an uninterrupted continuity of settlement from the late Bronze Age to the late Viking Age (Manneke 2005; Manneke et al. 2013). Approximately 800 meters east of the cemetery lie a ringfort, several buildings with stone foundations as well as the remains of further settlements in the direct surrounding area. The ringfort was built at the latest at the end of the Pre-Roman Iron Age and was used in several phases at least until the end of the Migration Period as a meeting place and arena for socio-political or religious activities. Remains of settlements north of the ringfort can be dated back to the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age and are therefore slightly older than the earliest burials from the Pre-Roman Iron Age in the cemetery. Several stone foundations south of the ringfort and the rich finds from settlements, graves and the ringfort – such as Roman imports or golden jewellery and especially the unique hoard with a golden neck ring (Nylén 1962; 2005) – bear witness to the great regional significance of Havor as a socio-political or religious central place in the Roman Iron Age and the Migration Period. Following a decline of Havor in the Vendel Period, the late Viking Age burials attest a revival of the local society, probably due to increasing trading activities, but also a significant return to older traditions such as the re-use of older graves or the incorporation of picture stones in burials (Toplak 2022; in press).

The circumstances of the find as well as the exact location of the picture stone remain uncertain. The location was roughly described and sketched by Nordin in a letter to Riksantikvarieämbete, dated October 16th, 1918. It is likely that the picture stone Hablingbo Havor I came from a demolished grave in the central area of the cemetery, next to the winding path that crosses the cemetery from east to west and around 40 metres to the east of several large grave mounds (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, pp. 53–54). The picture stone was probably re-used as a grave slab or as part of the stone cist in a Viking Age burial, just as the picture stones GP 133–138 Hablingbo Havor II–VII (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, pp. 54–56; Toplak 2022; in press) and several other picture stones on Gotlandic Viking Age cemeteries (see Burström 1996; Thunmark-Nylén 1995–2006 III, pp. 582–584; Rundkvist 2012; Toplak 2022; Oehrl/Toplak, in press).

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GP 133 Hablingbo Havor II
GP 134 Hablingbo Havor III
GP 135 Hablingbo Havor IV
GP 136 Hablingbo Havor V
GP 137 Hablingbo Havor VI
GP 138 Hablingbo Havor VII

Measurements, Material and Condition ⓘ
“Limestone slab, 12.5–16 cm thick. The obverse is curved and naturally smooth; the narrow sides are hewn flat over their entire width at a slightly acute angle towards the obverse and divided from both broad sides by 1 cm wide chamfers. The reverse is coarse. Total height 143 cm, of which 97 cm are above the root. Width closely above the root 57 cm, the same at the lower edge of the roundel, and 72 cm between the upper corners.” (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 54). The upper narrow side is convex with vertical edges pulling outwards. The broad sides are slightly concave towards the root. The root is flared a few centimetres at a height of about 50 cm on the right side and about 45 cm on the left side, which gives the entire picture stone the shape of an erect axe head including cheeks.

Description of Ornament and Images ⓘ
Sune Lindqvist presents two divergent depictions of the picture stone in “Gotlands Bildsteine”, an undated drawing by Olof Sörling (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 54) and a younger photograph of the repainted stone (Lindqvist 1941/42 I, fig. 18), probably repainted by himself, that can be dated to the year 1937 (Oehrl 2019a, p. 149).

The visible part of the picture stone above the root is decorated with faintly carved borders which fade out on the broad sides towards the root. In Sörling’s drawing (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 54), an edge still extends to the root on the right broad side, while the borders were reconstructed along the full length of the visible part of the obverse in Lindqvist’s reconstruction (Lindqvist 1941/42 I, fig. 18). Along the broad sides, the decorated borders consist of triangular lines bordered by lateral side-lines. These meet at the upper narrow side with a double row of arcs enclosed by two outer boundary lines and a dividing line in between. “In the vertical borders, the lines creating the pattern are carved deep and wide in their middle parts, so that they form almost boat-like shapes”, as Lindqvist (1941/42 II, p. 54) notes. The centre of the obverse is decorated with a 38.0 cm large roundel with a whorl rosette enclosed by a double circle line and prongs running along the outer circle line. Two antithetical snake-like animals with simple S-shaped bodies are carved in the upper corners of the obverse between the roundel and the borders. In Sörling’s drawing, the head of the right snake is no longer visible while the left snake opens its mouth with a tongue sticking out. On the photograph of the repainted stone presented by Lindqvist (1941/42 I, fig. 18), the left snake’s head shows a large eye and a long distinct jaw as well as one (or several?) antenna or a horn while the open mouth of the right snake can be identified. Furthermore, both animals (snakes, seahorses or worms/dragons?) show spikes or bristle-like hair (Oehrl 2019a, p. 109), continuously running along the body of the left snake and clustered in three groups at the body of the right snake. Directly below the roundel two antithetical quadrupeds are depicted. In Lindqvist’s photograph, both animals are depicted in a similar posture, practically mirroring each other. The body of the left animal appears almost naturalistic yet ending in an elongated head with a spiked ear and a long mouth with a hooked upper jaw. The body of the right animal is far more compact and ends in a gooseneck-like head with mouth and jaws similar to the opposite quadruped. In contrast, the left animal in Sörling’s drawing is smaller and crouched, its body resembling a carnivore while head and snout appear equine. The right animal seems to be shying or rearing; the distinct head on the gooseneck is crowned with two horns or ears and the snout ends in an upturned hook. A third reconstruction of the images is depicted on a photograph of an earlier repainting of the picture stone from 1929, showing a precursor to Lindqvist’s later reading (Oehrl 2019a, table 129d). The only difference from the later reconstruction published in “Gotlands Bildsteine” is the vague shade of an anthropomorphic figure on the back of the left quadruped, possibly showing a rider (ibid. p. 149). It was probably based on this earlier reconstruction that Karl Hauck interpretated both animals as horses with riders holding reins (Oehrl 2019a, p. 149). During new investigations using RTI-viewer and 3D-scanning, Sigmund Oehrl could confirm Lindqvist’s reconstruction of the snake-like animal’s bodies. He could thus prove that the animals mirror each other – an assumption that was criticized in the meantime due to the poor preservation (Larsen 2009, 18). Furthermore, he could add more details to Lindqvist’s reconstruction of the head of the right animal (Oehrl 2019a, pp. 149–150). Hauck’s interpretation of two riders on horseback, in return, was rejected by Oehrl based on his analyses. He was able to identify a presumably anthropogenic depression above the left animal’s body in the RTI-viewer, which corresponds to the area painted by Lindqvist in his first reconstruction from 1929 and which could represent a rider on the animal’s back. An equivalent on the opposite animal, however, is missing as are indications of reins (Oehrl 2019a, pp. 80, 150).

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Interpretation of the Imagery ⓘ
The roundel with a whorl rosette, surrounded by a corona of rays or spikes in the centre of the depiction as a variant of a regularly occurring motif can most likely be interpreted as a symbol of the sun (Oehrl 2019a, pp. 124–125). More elaborate information on the possible interpretation of whorl motifs as sun symbols and the iconography of the Type A picture stones can be obtained in the article on GP 350 Sanda kyrka IV.

The two antithetical snake-like animals in the upper edges of the obverse might represent Mediterranean Sea-creatures such as dolphins, seahorses, ketoi or other mythological, stylised sea creatures. Anders Larsen (2009, pp. 40–41) suggests that these animals on several picture stones such as GP 263 Lärbro Pavals reflect a purely decorative adoption of the antique motif of seahorses which appear on many Roman mosaics while Hauck interprets these animals as dolphins as they are known from Roman and early Christian gravestones, representing psychopomps that guide the souls of the deceased into the afterlife (Hauck 1983a, pp. 536, 547), thus illustrating Mediterranean influences on the early picture stones (see also Lindqvist 1941/42 I, p. 89; II, pp. 91–92; Holmqvist 1952a, pp. 10–16, figs. 7–10; 1976, p. 562; Hauck 1983a, pp. 547, 551). Furthermore, as Oehrl (2019a, pp. 143, 294) observes, these animals might also show “the northern version of the antique Ceto” as a kind of sea monster. For more information on sea creatures of Roman origin depicted on Type A picture stones see in particular GP 263 Lärbro Pavals, GP 197 Hellvi Ire IV, GP 44 Bro kyrka II, GP 173 Hangvar Austers I, GP 269 Martebo kyrka 2.

According to the classical reading, the two antithetical quadrupeds below the roundel could represent a horse fight, a motif which can probably be identified on several early picture stones (Oehrl 2019a, pp. 21, 62–63, 151, 158). Ritual horse fights are documented from later periods (Beck 2003; Stylegar 2006; 2014) and the topic of horse fights (called hestavíg in Old Norse literature) and horse sacrifice in the iconography of the (early) Gotland picture stones has often been discussed, see in particular GP 198 Hellvi Ire 7 and the following literature: Gjessing 1943, pp. 29–30; Lindqvst 1955, pp. 41–43; Ellmers 1970, pp. 243–245; Lamm/Nylén 2003, p. 26; Althaus 1993, pp. 87–89, 192–193; Lamm 1999; Beck 2003, pp. 96–97; Guber 2011, pp. 55–56; Pesch 2015a, p. 357; Oehrl 2019a, pp. 62–63. Large quantities of horse bones without traces of slaughter have been found next to the ring wall and in the settlement of Havor (Manneke et al. 2013, pp. 106–107). In addition, besides an interpretation as a fortified pen for breeding horses, it was suggested that the ring wall at Havor could have been used as an arena for horse fights in its early phase during the Roman Iron Age (Manneke 2005, p. 134). Thus, the interpretation of the two antithetic quadrupeds as horses incited to fight would find a concrete context in Havor (Toplak, in press).

Based on Oehrl’s new results which suggest the existence of a rider on the left quadruped, the depiction could be interpreted as an example of the motif group of the mounted beast fighter (“Untierkämpfer”), which also appears on several early picture stones (Oehrl 2019a, pp. 158–160), and which would also explain the less naturalistic appearance of the right animal. In the context of the stylised sun symbol, the whole scene could allude to ideas of rebirth – the solar cycle as overcoming darkness and death, personified by the beast (see also Hauck 1983a, p. 547).

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GP 350 Sanda kyrka IV
GP 263 Lärbro Pavals
GP 197 Hellvi Ire IV
GP 44 Bro kyrka II
GP 173 Hangvar Austers I
GP 269 Martebo kyrka 2
GP 198 Hellvi Ire 7

Type and Dating ⓘ
Axe-shaped picture stone representing an Early Type monument, belonging to Lindqvist’s “Abschnitt” A (circa AD 400–600; Lindqvist 1941/42 I, pp. 28, 110; see also Oehrl 2019a, pp. 8–10). Lindqvist classifies the fragment as representative of the first “Großsteingruppe”, group 4 – “Vallstenagruppe”, named after the stone GP 537 Vallstena Vallstenarum I. Characteristic of this group of monuments, consisting only of GP 537 Vallstena Vallstenarum I and Hablingbo Havor I, is the limitation to only one roundel (see VII). In contrast, Hauck (1983a, pp. 543–545) classifies Hablingbo Havor I as defining for his type IV (type IV,1) which is characterised by a whorl roundel as central motif, while GP 537 Vallstena Vallstenarum I belongs to his type V. Martin Rundkvist, in turn, suggests a typological classification of the outline shapes of the picture stones and defines GP 133 Hablingbo Havor II as Type dwarf 1 (Rundkvist 2012, pp. 155 – 160, table 3).

A later dating to the 6th and 7th centuries as suggested by Wilhelm Holmqvist (1976, p. 563) was rejected by Oehrl (2019, p. 10). Lindqvist’s dating to the Migration Period finds support in the archaeological material from the cemetery of Havor which demonstrates a last phase of socio-political, economical, and perhaps even religious importance of the society at Havor and a rapid decline in the early Vendel Period (Toplak, in press).

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GP 537 Vallstena Vallstenarum (I)
GP 133 Hablingbo Havor II

References ⓘ
Lindqvist 1941/42 I, p. 28, fig. 18, 366; II, pp. 53–54, fig. 366; Arrhenius/Holmqvist 1960, p. 176; Holmqvist 1952a, pp. 9–10, 12; 1976, p. 563; Lamm/Nylén 2003, pp. 21; Hauck 1983a, pp. 544, 552, 559, fig. 17; Oehrl 2007, p. 371; 2019a, pp. 9–10, 79–80, 84, 109, 145, 148–151, 158, 286, 294; II, table 1h, 87e5, 129–134; Larsen 2009, 18; Guber 2011, p. 121 cat. no. 24; Rundkvist 2012, p. 159, table 3; Oehrl/Toplak, in press; Toplak, in press.

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