GP 237 Lojsta Fride

Context and Discovery
Lindqvist (1941/42 II, p. 97) describes the find circumstances and location as follows: “This stone was found in 1918 by the gardener T.A. Lund in Storängen, when he laid out a garden, about 100 m south-south-west from the farmstead […]. It lay, with the obverse facing downwards, just below the surface. The obverse apparently was turned towards the northeast. Close by were several piles of stone – presumably stone settings of burials – and possibly there are more picture stones lying, fallen over and covered with earth. The picture stone under discussion here was re-erected and stands in its core original stone setting close to the finding place.” Obviously, the monument once was standing next to a group of three grave mounds (rösen) and after its discovery has been re-erected on one of them. The two other mounds are registered by RAÄ with the Lojsta 44:1–2.

Measurements, Material and Condition
“Limestone slab, about 35 cm thick. The total height is about 2 m, the one from the lower edge of the decoration is 147 cm. The width of the head is 85 cm, that of the neck 75 cm, and that of the base 100 cm. The obverse probably was even but is rather rough today due to weathering. The narrow sides are hewn at right angles towards the obverse and rounded towards the reverse, which is rough and unworked” (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 97). The mushroom-shaped slab is completely preserved, however, its edges, in particular, those of the head, are abraded and partly damaged. The decoration, which is badly damaged due to weathering and very hard to discern, is executed with carved lines and faintly chiselled background fields. Lindqvist’s photo of the re-erected and painted stone (ibid. fig. 53) was taken by H. Faith-Ell in 1933 (cf. ATA 1718:19), a photo of the re-erected but still unpainted stone taken by Fredrik Nordin in 1919 is kept in ATA as well.

Description of Ornament and Images
Even though the photograph of the painted monument taken by H. Faith-Ell (see V) shows poor but conclusive remains of the imagery, Lindqvist does not describe and nor even mention them. According to the painted version, the stone’s head is divided into two panels. While no images are recognizable in the upper panel, the lower field features a rough depiction of a horseman to the left and an undiscernible figure to the right, probably a welcome scene. In the image panel below, in the neck region of the monument, the legs of a horse and/or the legs of human figures and perhaps some raised swords can be identified in the right-hand half, and some indeterminable (human?) figures to the left. The lowermost image panel shows remains of a ship’s hull and keel, perhaps a steering oar, and a few insignificant traces of the rigging and the crew. The outline of a large rectangular sail is partly recognizable as well. The base of the stone depicts, just below the bottom line of the ship panel, remains of a row of waves with triple-looped crests, breaking to the right. The picture stone is framed by a border; however, its decoration is not discernable.

Interpretation of the Imagery
No interpretation

Type and Dating
Tall mushroom-shaped late-type picture stone, Type C/D. The monuments of ʻAbschnittʼ C are dated by Lindqvist to the time around AD 700, the small group of Type D stones, which must be regarded as a subgroup of C rather than a separate type, he dates to the middle or the second half of the 8th century. According to recent research, however, those Type C/D picture stones can only be roughly dated to between the 8th and the 10th century.

References
Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 97, fig. 453.

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Plane	Position	Flip