GP 244 Lokrume kyrka

Context and Discovery ⓘ
According to the inventory card in ATA, the stone was recovered from the floor in Lokrume church. There is a drawing by Olof Sörling, with a possible but uncertain dating to 1910. The stone was used as a doorstep between the church and the sacristy in Lokrume church. It was removed from there in 1910.

The oldest stone church on the site, parts of which are included in the 13th-century stone church, as well as the baptismal font, date to the 12th century (BeBR; Lundmark 1928, p. 340, p. 346). About 300 m south of the church, there are several stone settings (Fornsök). From Lokrume parish, we know a total of eight picture stones (GP 238–245), five of which were cist stones found in connection to the same grave mound in Tomase.
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GP 238 Lokrume Lauks
GP 239 Lokrume Tomase I
GP 240 Lokrume Tomase II
GP 241 Lokrume Tomase III
GP 242 Lokrume Tomase IV
GP 243 Lokrume Tomase V
GP0245

Measurements, Material and Condition ⓘ
Height 1.20 m, width 0.92 m, thickness 0.22 m. Limestone slab. The stone was cut into a rectangular slab to fit as a doorstep between the church and the sacristy, with the obverse facing upwards. Around 25% of the original size is preserved. The carved surface is partially smoothened by trampling. The obverse – which, apart from certain, in parts rather well-preserved areas, is severely abraded by footsteps – obviously was naturally smooth and almost flat. Of the original narrow sides, no trace has survived. The reverse is rough, but rather flat (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, p. 98).

The carving was filled in with paint sometime in between 1933 and 1937. In 1993, the paint was removed from the runic inscription by RIK, the department for conservation at Swedish National Heritage Board and the National History Museum (ATA), as preparation for publication in Gotlands runinskrifter. Silicon casts were made sometime between June 1957 and October 1960 by Karl Hauck (Oehrl 2017, p. 264). The stone was 3D-scanned in 2007 (Kitzler Åhfeldt 2013) and documented with RTI l in 2013 (Oehrl 2017, p. 265).
LKÅ

Description of Ornament and Images ⓘ
What remains of the motifs are the upper part of a sail and sections of two motif registers above it. In the lower part of the now preserved carving, we see the top of a sail with a slightly arched yardarm. Above, parts of two panels of 33-cm and 33.5-cm height, respectively, are preserved. These panels are defined both at the top and the bottom by approximately 6-cm-wide horizontal bars.

The uppermost panel features a human figure, with long garments and a cloak, holding an implement with lifted arms, possibly a sword. To the far right a figure turns to the left, possibly hooded. The middle section of this panel is obscure, but we see the forelegs of a horse. Between the legs, there is a triangular ornament.

The second panel features two horses with riders. The left rider holds a shield and a ring. The rider to the right is obscure. Between the legs of both horses under the bellies is a triquetra ornament. The horses step over triangular ornaments standing on the border between the riders and the ship. Another triangle protrudes from above, down to the back of the left rider. A short procession of three men follows the riders to the right. To the right, there are remains of an interlace border.

At the very bottom of the fragment, a large piece of a rectangular sail (with rhombic pattern) on a curved yardarm is preserved.
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Interpretation of the Imagery ⓘ
According to Lindqvist, the upper panel shows, on the extreme left, a man with his sword raised high. He appears to be in a fight against a horseman. In the other panel, on the extreme left, a horseman with shield (and spear?) can be seen. In his raised hand, he probably holds a victor’s wreath (Lindqvist 1942, p. 98). Below the bellies of both horses, there is a triquetra-symbol, also called the Hrungnir’s heart symbol, which on the picture stones sometimes has been interpreted as a symbol for the divine, perhaps Óðinn. An argument for this is that it appears in connection to a sacrifice and hanging scene on GP 253 Lärbro St. Hammars I. It also appears in connection to the so-called Welcome scene, in a position under the horse (between its legs) in the motif where an equestrian is greeted by a horn-carrying figure, presumably in Valhalla, as, e.g., on GP 255 Lärbro St. Hammars III.

The triangles standing up between the legs of the horses have been interpreted as fences, barriers to be passed on the way to the afterlife, i.e., helgrind (Lindqvist 1941, p. 99; see GP 258 Lärbro Tängelgårda I). An alternative interpretation is that they represent flames; thus the horsemen would be riding though fire.

As for the procession of three men following behind the horses, it is impossible to see what they are carrying, but there are other examples of tools or implements in the hands of the men in the small procession on GP 341 Sanda kyrka I and GP 3 Alskog kyrka, possibly also on GP 201 Hemse Annexhemman I (Lindqvist 1964, p. 76; Böttger-Niedenzu 1982, pp. 13, p. 24, pp. 73-74). These processions have been interpreted in various ways, e.g., as legal ceremonies connected to land ownership (Lindqvist 1964, p. 80; Nylén 1978, p. 60f), agrarian fertility rites (Lindqvist 1964, p. 76), as the gods Óðinn, Thor and Frey (Nylén 1978, p. 60), as men bringing gifts to a sitting god (Arrhenius 1961, p. 152, p. 154 about Sanda I), or as mourning relatives at a funeral (Jungner 1930, p. 69; the different interpretations have been summarized by Böttger-Niedenzu 1982, pp. 75–76). Oehrl observed that on GP 3 Alskog kyrka, GP 341 Sanda kyrka I and GP 91 Fröjel Bottarve, the three men seem to carry tools or weapons on their shoulders and, as all these scenes are also connected to a bird, Oehrl suggests that these processions are related to the psychopomp (Oehrl, 2020c, p. 149).

Processions of three can also appear on artworks of textile. For example, the three prominent figures on the tapestry from Skog have been interpreted as three kings, three saints or the three gods Óðinn, Thor and Frey (Franzén & Nockert 1992). A similar row of figures with unidentifiable attributes appears beneath the ship on Överhogdal III, according to Horneij probably holy beings (Horneij 1991, pp. 61–62).

Following his investigations of 3D-models of the carving, Oehrl presents more details and alternative suggestions. In the upper panel, between the forelegs of the horse, Oehrl discerns a rounded object that might represent a human head. The figures to the far right in the upper panel may be females (Oehrl 2017, p. 266). In the second panel, he indentified additional rings between the hinter legs of the first horse, meaning that the rider of this horse has a ring in his hand as well as rings under his horse. The followers appear to have rings in their hands and around them (Oehrl 2017, pp. 270–271). The ring-giver can be seen as a depiction of a lord riding into Valhalla, the very picture of lordly generosity, followed by his retinue (Oehrl 2017, p. 274).
LKÅ
GP 253 Lärbro Stora Hammars I
GP0255
GP0258
GP 341 Sanda kyrka I
GP0003
GP 201 Hemse Annexhemman I
GP0091

Runic Context and Comments ⓘ

In both horizontal bars, there are runes (GR 3: G 252). In Lindqvist’s Gotlands Bildsteine, the runic inscription is described as they were reported by Erik Brate (Lindqvist 1942, pp. 98–99). Snædal complements her own reading with Brate’s and indicates that the archaic elements may give a date to c. 850 (Snædal 2002, p. 52). In Brate’s reading, the language is archaic and indicates an early date. However, in a new reading Magnus Källström discards the archaic features. His new reading also corresponds more closely with Olof Sörling’s drawing (Källström 2012, pp. 126–127). Källström suggests a later date than Brate, but not later than the second half of the 10th c. (Källström 2012, p. 127). By examining the faint runes in the upper horizontal bar and scrutinizing the overcuts of ornament lines in 3D-models, Sigmund Oehrl argues that the runic inscription is contemporary with the pictures (Oehrl 2017, p. 278).
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Type and Dating ⓘ
Type C. Viking Age. The runic inscription indicates a date to the 10th c. (Källström 2012, p. 127). According to Snaedal c. 850 (Snædal 2002, p. 52).
LKÅ

References ⓘ
Lindqvist 1941/42 II, pp. 98–99, I, Fig. 19–-94; GR 3: G 252; Snædal 2002, pp. 251–252; Källström 2012, pp. 126–127; Oehrl 2017 I, pp. 264–278.

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