GP 187 Hejnum Bjärs II

Context and Discovery
The Bjärs cemetery extends to the south of the farm in three closely spaced areas immediately east of the country road, consisting of a total of more than 80 stone settings still visible today, rösen (cairns) and other circular stone mounds: RAÄ Hejnum 31:1 (northern area, 165 x 50 m), 113:1 (middle area, 150 x 60 m), 36:1 (southern area, 190 x 30–65 m). A small area of 90 x 30 m containing 7 stone settings immediately west of the road, belonging to Bjärs prästgård, is obviously also part of the Bjärs cemetery (RAÄ 45:1). About 160 graves were excavated by Fredrik Nordin (Nordin 1893; Nordin et al. 1906) during the years 1885–86. Further investigations of the spot were conducted by Nording during the early 1890s. The cemetery was used from the Roman Iron Age until the Viking Period. Most of the graves, however, date to the Vendel Period. The stones Hejnum Bjärs II–V were found in the north-western corner of the northern cemetery area, close to the road and the stone Hejnum Bjärs I about 200 m further south, also close to the road, at the edge of the middle area.

Hejnum Bjärs II was found by Nordin in 1894, after the excavations, when he examined the stones which covered grave no. 140 (Nordin et al. 1906, p. 53; no. 46 in Nerman 1969/75). The undisturbed cremation grave contained the following grave goods (ibid. and Rundkvist 2012, p. 153): a dress pin, a utensil brooch, a knife with metal-trimmed sheath, and a stamp-decorated pot. The burial can be dated to the late 6th century.
GP 189 Hejnum Bjärs III
GP 188 Hejnum Bjärs IV
GP 182 Hejnum Bjärs V
GP 186 Hejnum Bjärs I

Measurements, Material and Condition
The stone’s lowermost part, probably the root, was broken off during its discovery and has not been found again. At the find spot, the two remaining pieces, forming the actual picture stone, were drawn by Fredrik Nordin (1903, fig. 2; 1906, fig. 14). In 1910, these matching pieces, or at least the lower fragment that can still be found today (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, fig. 413), were transferred to SHM, where Olof Sörling in 1911/12 produced a new drawing of them (ibid. I, fig. 28). Possibly, however, the ornamented top part already was lost at that time (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, pp. 70–71). “Limestone slab, 7–9 cm thick. The obverse is rough at the base, but less so further up and thus likely to be hewn there, though severely weathered. The narrow sides are dressed at an acute angle towards the obverse; whether they once were bounded by chamfers towards the obverse is unclear today. The width at the base is 59 cm. The total height including the now lost upper part was 75 cm” (ibid. 71).

Description of Ornament and Images
The two matching pieces represent a more-or-less complete rectangular monument with a border at its upper edge, featuring an apparently well-executed regular, wave-like running-dog pattern. “In the upper border, the decoration was executed by the chiselling of the background field. On the surviving piece, a distinct groove can be seen that is 3 mm wide and runs along the right vertical edge. Of the same kind is the horizontal groove that – according to [Fredrik Nordin’s] drawing – separated two panels of equal height. Of the decorations in these panels, only very insignificant remains can be discerned on the preserved piece” (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 71). The carvings mentioned by Lindqvist can be seen in the drawings by Fredrik Nordin from 1894 (Nordin 1903, fig. 2; 1906, fig. 14) and Olof Sörling from about 1911/12 (Lindqvist 1941/42 I, fig. 28; ATA run- och bildstenssamling). A sketchy version of Nordin’s drawing in ATA apparently depicts remnants of a roundel in the area below the upper horizintal border on the upper fragment. Today, the whole upper fragment is lost. The remaining lower fragment includes approximately the right half of the horizontal and approximately the lower half of the right lateral groove. Furthermore, investigations of 3-D models have clearly shown that there are at least three three-pointed bird foot-shaped elements that extend downwards from the horizontal line. Presumably, these are simplified sea creature elements indicating the three-tipped tail fins of the ketos- and dolphin-like creatures adopted from Roman models (cf. GP 506 Tingstäde kyrka XVII, GP 263 Lärbro Pavals, GP 196 Hellvi Ire I).
GP 506 Tingstäde kyrka XVII
GP 263 Lärbro Pavals
GP 196 Hellvi Ire I

Interpretation of the Imagery
No interpretation

Type and Dating
The slab represents a special group of monuments related to the Early-type picture stones, Type A according to Lindqvist’s typology, which is commonly dated to between AD 400 and 600. Lindqvist calls those monuments Type A “dwarf stones with rectangular or almost rectangular shape” (1941/42 I, p. 31). There is only a small number of stones of this kind known so far; apart from Hejnum Bjärs II and GP 188 Hejnum Bjärs IV, there are only GP 440 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs X, GP 430 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XI, and GP 431 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XII. On most of them there is only very poor decoration which makes it debatable whether those monuments should be called ʻpicture stonesʼ or not. On the basis of comparisons between the border decoration and similar ornaments in jewellery, Nerman (1935, pp. 106–107) dates the stone to period VI:2 (circa the period AD 475–500 to 550–600). Grave no. 140 (46), on whose stone covering the small monument was found (see IV), can be dated to the late 6th century (period VII:1 according to Nerman, i.e. circa AD 550–600). According to this, there was only a relatively short time between the erection and the secondary use of the stone.
GP 188 Hejnum Bjärs IV
GP 440 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs X
GP 430 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XI
GP 431 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs XII

References
Nordin 1903, p. 144, fig. 2; Nordin et al. 1906, pp. 53, fig. 14; Nerman 1935, pp. 106–107, fig. 247; Lindqvist 1941/42 I, p. 31, fig. 28; II, p. 70–71, fig. 413; Rundkvist 2012, pp. 146, 153.

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