Parish Find Location 
Hejnum

Find Location 
Apparently re-used as filling material in an old road about 150 m east of Mallgårds farm, Hejnum parish.

Find Context Classification 
Other

Coordinate Find Location (lat) 
6399157

Coordinate Find Location (long) 
715165

Parish Present Location 
Hejnum

Present Location 
Next to the driveway which leads to the farm.

Present Location Classification 
Private Property

Coordinate Present Location (lat) 
6399157

Coordinate Present Location (long) 
715165

Material 
Limestone

Height 
102

Width 
106

Thickness 
12

Lindqvist Type 
C/D (ca. 700-1000)

Lindqvist Shape 
Tall stone

Runic Inscription or not 
No

Context and Discovery 
The picture stone fragment was found in 1952 or 1953 on the property of landowner Helmer Andersson, approx. 150 m east of his farm Mallgårds in Hejnum parish. It was discovered by Andersson among other stones which were apparently used as filling material in a swampy area of an old road. After its discovery, the stone was moved to the farm, where it stands in a meadow next to the driveway. In the 1930s, another picture stone had been found at the same spot, close to the one discussed here, but on solid ground (GP 192 Hejnum Mallgårds 2). This one is kept in the farmyard. The finds were reported to RAÄ by Erik Nylén in 1960 (ATA dnr 990/60, 1960-01-21, including photos).
GP 192 Hejnum Mallgårds 2

Measurements, Material and Condition 
The fragment represents the upper part of a mushroom-shaped picture stone, including its head and neck. The head’s shape is almost completely preserved; however, its right corner as well as some parts of the upper left edge seem to be slightly damaged. The stone is about 1.02 m high, 1.06 m wide, and 0.12 m thick. The limestone slab is very weathered and covered with lichen and moss. It leans backwards, at an angle of about 25º, against one of the large fieldstones lying in the meadow. The once ornamented surface faces south.

Description of Ornament and Images 
No traces of carvings are discernible with certainty, and the stone’s surface is completely weathered.

Interpretation of the Imagery 
No interpretation

Type and Dating 
As the fragment only represents the mushroom head and the neck of a picture stone, the monument must have been at least 2.50 m high (including the root). The monument belongs to a small group of large Type C stones with slightly convex heads and corners protruding at right angles to the body (Lindqvist 1941/42 I, tbl. III). This head shape corresponds to the dwarf stones of Type B, however, the size and the decoration of the stones under discussion here clearly indicate Type C monuments. Best examples are GP 37 Bro Eiriks I and GP 45 Bro Eiriks II and in particular GP 185 Hejnum Rings. Lindqvist (ibid. p. 46) regards those stones as “Hybridgruppe”, probably representing a phase of transition between B and C. If this interpretation is correct, those stones could be regarded as the earliest Type C stones, presumably dating to the 8th century or possibly around 700.
GP0037
GP0045
GP 185 Hejnum Rings

References 
Lamm/Nylén 2003, p. 203 cat. no. 412.

 
Fyndplats
Bildstenen påträffades 1952 eller 1953 som fyllning i en gammal väg, cirka 150 m öster om gården Mallgårds.

Nuvarande lokalisering
Vid vägen som leder till gården.

Beskrivning
Övre delen av en svampformad bildsten (typ C-D), som bredast 106 cm. Troligen har den varit cirka 250 cm hög. Inga spår av bilder har påträffats på stenen.

Datering
Dateringen kan inte anges närmare, men bildstenen verkar tillhöra en övergångsfas från dvärgstenar till stora svampformiga stenar och hör i så fall till 700-talet.

Tolkning
Ingen tolkning.

AA

Title
GP 191 Hejnum Mallgårds 1

Fornsök ID 
L1975:9207

RAÄ ID 
251

Jan Peder Lamm ID 
412

ATA
K-Samsök