Parish Find Location ⓘ
Lärbro

Find Location ⓘ
In a meadow east of Stora Hammars, close to a cairn. Part of ‘Daggängsmonumentet’.

Find Context Classification ⓘ
Private Property

Coordinate Find Location (lat) ⓘ
6407350

Coordinate Find Location (long) ⓘ
729153

Parish Present Location ⓘ
Bunge

Present Location ⓘ
Bunge Museum, in the outdoor exhibition.

Present Location Classification ⓘ
Bungemuseet

Coordinate Present Location (lat) ⓘ
6419534

Coordinate Present Location (long) ⓘ
738968

Material
Limestone

Height ⓘ
391

Width ⓘ
162

Thickness ⓘ
30

Lindqvist Type 
C/D (ca. 700-1000)

Lindqvist Shape 
Tall stone

Runic Inscription or not ⓘ
No

Context and Discovery ⓘ
The stone was part of a large assemblage of ancient monuments called ‘Daggängsmonumentet’ that includes several picture stones. The site consists of three large cairns and five tall picture stones; the stones were found lying upon or besides the cairns (GP 253–GP 257 Lärbro Stora Hammars I–V, see GP 254 Lärbro Stora Hammars II, GP 255 Lärbro Stora Hammars III, GP 256 Lärbro Stora Hammars IV, GP 257 Lärbro Stora Hammars V). Originally, the picture stones had stood upright next to the cairns (Lindqvist 1941/1942 II, 83–86; Lindqvist 1948, 19–23). The cairns contained large amounts of burnt and unburnt animal bones, ashes, charcoal and some small finds including a grinding stone and an arrowhead. No traces of burials were documented. About 30 to 70 m away, there are some more cairns, probably burials, and some foundations of ancient buildings.

Sune Lindqvist describes the first time that scholars visited the place, as follows (Lindqvist 1941/1942 II 83–84):

‘East of St. Hammars, there is sprawling meadowland grown with hazelnut bushes and deciduous forests. This area today probably represents one of the few well-preserved examples of the “meadow forest” (“Löväng”) that once was so characteristic for Gotland. In its easternmost part, close to an area of coniferous woods, lies a meadow belonging to St Hammars known as “Daggängen”. The border between the parishes Lärbro and Hellvi abuts this meadow. Formerly, by the way, “Daggängen” belonged to Lilla Ire in Hellvi parish.

The local population has known for a long time that there were both picture stones and “kämpgravar” [foundations of ancient buildings] as well as other evidence of antiquity in that meadow. O. v. Friesen, Sune Ambrosiani, and K. A. Berlin were alerted to this fact by estate owner Ale Nyberg, Pavalds, and Dr Lars Kolmodin. In the summer of 1905, the area was paid a visit and two of the picture stones examined. Stone No. I was broken and lay on the ground with the obverse facing downwards, so that only part of the rich decoration could be inspected. Informed by the gentlemen mentioned above about the situation, [Gabriel Gustafsson, Fredrik Nordin, and Olof Sörling] visited the site in 1910. FN continued the investigation in 1911, with GG present for several days, too, and excavated the two cairns containing the stones, as well as a third cairn.

In 1922 it was decided that the larger of the picture stones could not remain in situ at the finding place, and by order of the Deputy National Antiquarian, it was moved to a harbour in order to be transported to SHM. Due to strong opposition on the part of the Gotlanders, however, against this plan that threatened to rob the island of one of its greatest monuments of antiquity, stone No. I in 1923 instead was brought to the Bunge Museum, together with the fragment of No. IV [GP 256 Lärbro Stora Hammars IV], as a deposition of SHM. At the same time, Nos II [GP 254 Lärbro Stora Hammars II] and III [GP 255 Lärbro Stora Hammars III] were erected just a short distance from the finding place, on the other side of the border of the “socken”, on Hellvi prästäng (“priest meadow”), while the fragments of No. V [GP 257 Lärbro Stora Hammars V] were supposed to have been delivered to Visby’.

Lindqvist provides a plan of Daggängsmonumentet drawn by F. Nordin in 1911 (ibid. 84 fig. 432), as well as the details, as recorded by Nordin, of the cairns with the picture stones (ibid. 85 fig. 442). The following is Nordin’s description, as cited by Lindqvist (ibid. 84), the letters (a) to (d) refer to the plan fig. 442 (ibid. 85):

‘Cairn 1
Made up of cobbles, 12.8 m long, 10.2 m wide, and 1 m high. The longitudinal axis runs from the northwest to the southeast. The picture stones Nos I and II once stood at the eastern edge of the cairn. Later, they had fallen over, namely No. I inwards, in such a way that it was in a semi-recumbent position, with its obverse facing downwards, while No. II had fallen outwards and was discovered in a completely horizontal position, with the obverse facing upwards. A smaller limestone slab, which possibly belonged to No. II, lay in the middle and on top of the cairn. Probably both stones formerly stood in a line west-east +15° south-north at a distance of just a few decimetres from each other, the obverses facing southeast. Between these stones, a number of unburnt animal bones were found during excavation, 70 cm below ground level (a). Likewise, to the north of stone No. I. In the south part of the cairn, in a depth of 50–60 cm, there also unburnt animal bones (b) were found, as were a little distance west of the centre, at the same depth. Here, the earth was dark under the cairn’s bottom stones due to the admixture of ash (c). Close to this concentration of bones, there was located in the centre of the cairn another large amount of unburnt animal bones (d), and this layer of bones extended down into the bottom clay under the cairn. About 90 cm east of the eastern edge of stone No. I, a 15.5 cm long iron arrowhead was discovered [fig. 433]. It lay in a depth of only 30 cm, with its point towards the southeast. Close by, a rough grindstone was found. Among the occasional limestone cobbles occurring in the cairn, there was one stone that apparently represents the root of a picture stone, probably of No. V. Also, two smaller pieces came to light that possibly belong to it as well. If our assumption is correct, all three of these pieces should have been parts of the left side of a picture stone.

Cairn 2
This one also consisted of cobbles. Its length was 7 m in northeast-southwest direction; the width was 6 m, the height 0.6 m. Between the cairns Nos I and II, the edge of a long limestone slab jutted out. This was, as was established later, the long edge of picture stone No. III that was lying in the ground, with its obverse facing downwards and its head pointing towards the southeast. Originally, its obverse was facing southeast, just as those of picture stones Nos I and II. The earth the stone was lying in was blackened by charcoal ash down to a depth of 15 cm and for an area of 2.5 by 1 m. In the layer, small pieces of charcoal were observed. The picture stone’s root had been supported by a package of small stones.

At the northeast edge, at a distance of 0.5 m from No. III, the large fragment of the body of picture stone No. IV was lying with its obverse facing down. It was covered by a 10–15 cm thick layer of soil. Under the stone, the earth was blackened with ash, and numerous pieces of charcoal as well as an unburnt animal bone were found in it. Under the stones, a layer of ash and charcoal – 3 m long, 2 m wide, and 35 cm deep (even deeper in its centre) – extended southwest. The stones found among the ashes were burnt, and thus it seems that a pyre had been burning here. Above this layer, several unburnt animal bones (a) were observed. Further southwest, a larger amount of unburnt animal bones (b) was located in the same layer, but they were all scattered at random. At the cairn’s western edge, a limestone block, 60 cm thick, 1.5 m long, and 1 m wide, lay on the ground that demarcated the charcoal layer in this direction. On top, this block was rather smooth. Both its shape and size were such that one might feel tempted to call it a sort of altar. During the reconstruction of the cairn, three pieces of picture stones were recovered, one of which certainly was part of No. IV, namely its west side. The two other pieces – which were fitting together – possibly belonged to the left side of the head of the same picture stone.

Cairn 3
It mainly consisted of cobbles, and its length was 5 m in northeast-southwest direction, its width 4 m. At its northeast edge, some unburnt animal bones were encountered, but nothing else was found.’

According to Lena Thunmark-Nylén, a burnt comb fragment was found in Cairn 3, which is not mentioned by Lindqvist (Thunmark-Nylén 1995–2006 III:2 506–507).

Nordin states that ‘no traces of human funerals were observed in these three cairns. The unburnt animal bones as well as the ashes, however, seem to indicate that a funeral meal was held here, possibly in connection with a sacrifice in Cairn 2.

Apart from these three cairns, there are on the same meadow five round cairns, a damaged “kämpgrav” with angular gable, and an old, 3.7 m wide pathway with a stone kerb of the kind that commonly occurs with “kämpgravar”. This path leads south to the neighbouring meadow, which belongs to the parsonage and is called “Högården”. The path is 44 m long. In Högården, the path makes a slight curve towards the southeast. Just at the place where the path takes a different direction, there lies in the path a small, low cairn that only can have been erected there after the path had gone out of use. Another similar cairn is close by. West of the path, there is a second “kämpgrav”, which also is damaged, but probably once had a substantial length. Today, it is 13 m long. Thus, one is looking at the former abandoned farm with burial mounds and memorial stones for departed ancestors.

Furthermore, there are remains of other farms nearby. In the “Hägvide äng”, for example, there are a large “kämpgrav” next to the meadow “Prästhögården” (which belongs to the parsonage) and a path leading there. Another large “kämpgrav” is located in the meadow “Stora Dagghage”, which belongs to Pavalds farm, and in Storänge (also belonging to Pavalds), there is yet another, which again has a path leading towards it. Accordingly, the region at least partially was cultivated before the farms – which are represented by the remains of the “kämpgravar” – were abandoned.’

Daggängen did not attract much scholarly attention since then. Anders Andrén and Sigmund Oehrl visited the site in June 2020. The area is largely overgrown, and access is difficult. The monuments are well preserved. Remains of charcoal and black earth can be detected just a few centimetres beneath ground surface.
SO/MH
GP 254 Lärbro Stora Hammars II
GP0255
GP 256 Lärbro Stora Hammars IV
GP 257 Lärbro Stora Hammars V

Measurements, Material and Condition ⓘ
‘Limestone slab, on average 25–30 cm thick. The obverse is naturally smooth and almost flat, the narrow sides on the whole are only roughly hewn at right angles towards the obverse. Towards the back, the narrow sides are rounded. The reverse is raw and unworked. The stone’s total height is 391 cm, of which 348 cm are visible in the stone’s current position; the distance between the top and the lower edge of the decoration is 309 cm. The height of the head is 108 cm, its width 143 cm; the width of the neck is 116 cm and that of the body at the lower edge of the decoration 162 cm’ (Lindqvist 1941/1942 II 86).

The stone is badly weathered, as it is erected in the outdoor exhibition area at Bunge museum, only protected against frost in winters. The current colouring equals Lindqvist’s colouring from 1968.
SO/MH

Description of Ornament and Images ⓘ
Tall stone with 6 horizontal figurative image fields, separated by horizontal borders and framed by a regular braided ribbon pattern.

As the stone is in much worse condition today than it was at the time of the discovery, the first drawings and documentation made by Gabriel Gustafson, Olof Sörling and Fredrik Nordin, and compiled and provided by Sune Lindqvist, are essential sources for the reading of the images (see More media). Still, many details remain doubtful. Already when Lindqvist painted the stone, he stated that ‘for the colouring, we felt compelled to a certain degree to apply the paint on numerous details “by feeling”, which seemed to us to be justifiable, considering the stone’s appearance’. Sune Lindqvist himself changed his mind about the correct reading of this stone at least once, and made a different colouring, centuries after the first version. This should be born in mind whenever details are used to make specific interpretations of the imagery.

Lindqvist (1941/1942 II 86) describes the imagery as follows:

‘The decoration probably was sketched out in fine lines – of which, however, only few are still discernable – and then executed mainly by the chiselling of the background fields. Some of these latter sections are very sharply defined and clear, while others are so faint that it is hardly possible to recognise their limits, unless, as in the case of the framing border, there is a repeating pattern ...’

Top panel
‘The top panel appears to show two men armed with swords standing on both sides of a sitting person, probably a woman. To the extreme left, there is a raised triangle that has counterparts in many other places, where it also is not possible to ascribe to it a special meaning within the image context. To the extreme right, a bird (cock?) can be seen that appears to be pecking something off the ground (is it meant to symbolise the peaceful conditions in which the woman was living when the men armed with swords arrived on the scene – and abducted her?)’ (Lindqvist 1941/1942 II 86).

A drawing made by Gabriel Gustafson in 1912, kept in ATA, however, does show two opposing figures with raised weapons, but what is between them is unclear, and by no means it can safely be interpreted as a sitting woman. The bird that Lindqvist described as a cock, rather reminds of some birds of prey like the ones shown in the third panel (see below).

Sigmund Oehrl, who examined the stone in 2013 and made RTI-images, states: “The bird does actually look like a cock rather than a water bird or a raptor” (Oehrl, forthcoming).

Second panel
‘The second panel from the top shows a horse on the left that is tethered by its rein, which is fastened to the ground (e.g. under a dug-up turf), and two swords with distinct cross-guards at the hilts and probably triangular pommels on top. Also to be seen are two men with their hands raised up diagonally, as if in adulation, towards one or more persons standing in front of them, who are, however, no longer clearly visible’ (Lindqvist 1941/1942 II 86).

The horse is well discernible in the 3D-model. The horse's head is depicted somewhat strangely. It appears to be hanging down, the tongue sticking out; the rein could also be a stick or staff. Above the two swords next to it, which are also very clearly discernible in the 3D-model, a triangle hangs down from the upper edge of the picture panel.

According to Lindqvistʼs re-assessment of the carvings (Lindqvist 1968, 20–21), the second panel features at its right end an enthroned man and a warrior with shield behind him. Above these two men, a small female figure is situated who is roofed by a strange longish element, which could be regarded as a serpent or the long neck and beaked head of an aquatic bird. The carvings still remain very dubious (Oehrl, forthcoming).

Third panel
‘The third panel shows, on the left, two trees, the trunks of which intersect as one of the trees is bent down. Perhaps a bird sits in the latter tree’s crown. It appears that from the trunk of the bent tree, close under the crown, hangs down a rope (albeit only unclearly) to the neck to a man standing under the tree and carrying a shield, whose head is strongly tilted forwards. If the rope that is connecting both trees were cut, the bent tree probably was supposed to straighten up, thus tightening the noose around the man’s neck and pulling him up in the air (in order to hang him). A bird of prey waiting for food is flying towards the man. Just below the bird are three interlocked triangular rings with very clear internal lines (cf. fig. 436) and an ‘altar’ with extraordinarily vague details, at which two men – one of them with a clearly recognisable sword scabbard – are occupied. (The interpretation as an ‘altar’ was made by FN, though not in writing; GG considered the object as a pyre, with clearly recognisable logs at its bottom.)’

‘To the right, four tall men are seen facing the altar scene, of which at least two, probably all four, carry shields; the men in front and in the rear clearly have scabbards. The first man holds something in front of him, possibly a dead(?) bird, while the three others are brandishing their swords in the air. Above the arm holding the “bird”, there are a wreath(?) and some fluttering ribbons under a triangle jutting out from the panel’s upper boundary’ (Lindqvist 1941/1942 II 86).

This famous scene probably depicts a burial or a human sacrifice: A man is hanged in the tree, and the sacred character of the scene is indicated by the interlocked triangles and the numerous birds. However, Lindqvist revised his own readings published in "Gotlands Bildsteine" at a later date, after another autopsy, and presented very different colour versions. Sörling (Oehrl 2019a, fig. 31c) and initially also Lindqvist (Oehrl 2019a, fig. 31d) had recognised a ladder- or scaffold-like object next to the warrior supposedly hanging from a leaning tree, on which two men are working. In a new painting of the image stone presented in 1968, a small person is added, lying prone on the scaffolding and being maltreated with a spear by one of the men standing around (Oehrl 2019a, Fig. 31e). The interpretation of the figures as human sacrifices on an altar scaffold, which is now considered general consensus, is thus based on a new judgement by Lindqvist made over two decades later.

The interlocked triangles and the tree are still clearly discernible in the 3D-model, as are the warrior with the round shield and the warriors with raised swords to the right. The structure commonly called “altar”, is visible, too. The rest is blurred.

If the interpretation of this scene as a sacrifice is correct, it is interesting to note that Daggängsmonumentet seems to be a cult place. Lindqvist mentions a stone that might have been used as an altar (see “Context and discovery”).

Horizontal braided ribbon
‘The horizontal border across the picture stone’s neck appears to contain an intricate, but in its details unclear band pattern’ (Lindqvist 1941/1942 II 86).

Fourth panel
‘The fourth panel shows a ship on the left, in which four men with their swords held up high can be perceived. From the bow, a gangplank clearly is laid out. A woman raising one hand (the field is unclear further up) is facing the ship, and behind her, there are three men, who seem to be carrying shields and scabbards and who are brandishing their swords towards the men in the ship in a menacing manner. Above the ship, a spear(?)’ (Lindqvist 1941/1942 II 86).

There are different readings of this panel. Sigmund Oehrl (2019a, 223) retraces these as follows:

‘The oldest drawings of the figures by Olof Sörling (Fig. 264a-b) and an early painting of the stone from 1923 (Fig. 264c) already show a ship with four crew members equipped with shield and sword [see More media]. The shield on the far right has a swirl decoration and a hump. A woman turns towards the ship with her arm raised. The woman is followed by three infantrymen armed with swords and shields. Between the sword blades of the two rear fighters hovers a structure with three spikes. Above the crew of the ship hovers an elongated object, which in Sörling's work ends in a rhombus at both ends and is reminiscent of a spear. A strip running diagonally from the bow of the ship appears to represent a landing stage. Consequently, the ship lands with its sword-wielding crew and is met on the shore by a woman and a no less aggressive land army. In Sörling's work, the raised arm of the female figure merges into a shapeless surface that extends over the lady's head. The painting from 1923 shows a stick-like object in the woman's hand, from which a cloud-like surface extends backwards, like a gigantic candy floss. A pencil drawing on tracing paper from 1912, which I took from ATA in Stockholm, makes the staff in the raised hand of the female figure appear branch-like and ramified, and the lady here also has a belt (Abb. 264d).

The colouring published by Lindqvist in 1941 (fig. 265a), which already existed in 1933 (ATA: Runstenar o. Bildstenar, Gotland; Lärbro, 25, photo 1719:18-20), differs only slightly from Sörling's view. The structure above the woman's head appears in this version like a cloud or the flame of a torch, which the woman holds in her outstretched hand. It is striking that the shield decoration and the blurring of the right-hand diamond-shaped "spearhead" have disappeared. In 1968 Lindqvist published his new painting of the stone, which was based on a 14–15-day examination of the surface of the stone (Fig. 265b). The following significant changes to the depiction in “Gotlands Bildsteine” can be noted: 1) Lindqvist now interprets the supposed spear above the warship as forging tongs. The tongs hold a red-hot (diamond-shaped) piece of iron and refer, so to speak, to the “heated” atmosphere on board (“hvor ophidsede mændene i skibet er”). 2) The “torch” in the woman's hand appears more realistic through the addition of a few lines and a jagged outer contour. 3) The woman with the supposed torch wears a shawl on her shoulders, which is indicated by an oblique double line running from the arm across the chest to the figure's lower back. 4) The three-pronged sign between the weapons of the two rear infantrymen has been given a clearer outline’ (Oehrl 2019a, 223).

There is a very similar scene on the stone GP 397 Stenkyrka Smiss I.

Fifth panel
‘The fifth panel on the left shows two men with raised swords. The one in front perhaps holds the dangling reins of a horse; a powerfully carved vertical line runs from the horse’s saddle across the body of a recumbent man (who had fallen off the horse) down to the ground. Above the horse, in all likelihood a bird of prey is depicted, which is about to swoop down on the corpse. The bird’s rear part is unclear. Further to the right, there are two comrades-in-arms of the fallen one, with raised swords. In front of each of them, a small figure is shown that cannot be interpreted. In the top right corner, GG thought to recognise a bird sitting on the rear warrior’s head (helmet crest). F-E and SL do not consider this probable’ (Lindqvist 1941/1942 II 86).

Sigmund Oehrl noted that a man lying under a horse seems to be a recurrent motif of picture stones of the Lärbro group, and he discusses the stones GP 41 Bro Ekes, GP 244 Lokrume kyrka, and GP 258 Lärbro T I (Oehrl 2019a, pp. 96–98). It is especially the hanging reins of the horse and a vertical chop-like carving that connect GP 253 Lärbro Stora Hammars I to the corresponding scenes on Lärbro Tängelgårda I und Bro Ekes. This deep carving is very clear in the 3D-model but is hard to explain. Maybe it is a sign to mark the horse and its rider as defeated (see Oehrl 2019a, 96).

Sixth panel
According to Sune Lindqvist, ‘the large ship, which is 95.5 cm high (not counting the rudder) and 110 cm wide, probably was interpreted correctly in all material aspects in fig. 81. Three spears stand in the stern, the heads of which are visible outside of the spiral of the sternpost’s terminal. The lyfting with its cross-shaped supports, the rich network of sheet ropes, the stays, and the mast hardly can have looked any different than is shown in our drawing. The band beginning in the middle of the sail’s right edge – a leech line – probably is attached here, but a recognisable loop is missing. The animal’s head of the stem post is unclear in its details.’

‘The waves with their intricate foamy crests in the main can be fully interpreted, excluding the cascades of foam around the stem post’ (Lindqvist 1941/1942 II 86).
SO/MH
GP0397
GP 41 Bro Ekes
GP 244 Lokrume kyrka
GP0258

Interpretation of the Imagery ⓘ
This stone has been the subject of much scholarly debate. Both the oldest and the most recent interpretation of the imagery see depictions of scenes from the legend of Hildr (Lindqvist 1968; Aðalheiður Guðmundsdóttir 2012b; Oehrl 2019a).

The legend of Hildr is known in different versions in Old Norse, Old English and Middle High German poetry (see Oehrl 2019a, 224 with ref. 1955). It is the story of a bride kidnapping and the resulting conflict between the bride's father Hogne and her kidnapper/lover (Hetel/Heðinn). Hildr plays the role of mediator between the parties, or rather that of an agitator. The battle of the Hjadinge, „Hjaðningavíg”, is at the core of the tale: the never-ending fight between Heðinn and Hogne for Hildr. The earliest, but sparse, references to the existence of the legend can be found in Old English texts from the eighth century. The oldest literary source in which the legend is told can be found in early skaldic poetry from the ninth century.

The skald Bragi enn gamli Boddason describes a depiction of the Hild story on a splendorous painted shield in his poem “Ragnarsdrápa” as one out of four depictions from heroic legends and mythology. In this version of the story, Hildr visits her father's ship, which has landed on the beach after pursuing the bride robber and offers him a neck ring as a gift of reconciliation, but at the same time sets the quarrelling parties against each other. A battle arises (Hjaðningavíg), of which Snorri (Skáldskaparmál chap. 50) reports, that it never ends, as Hildr always brings the fallen to new life again and again. The skald describes the encounter between father and daughter before the battle. This is apparently the moment when Hildr steps in front of her father's landing ship and offers him neck rings as a (supposed) gift of reconciliation. This was apparently regarded as a particularly dramatic point in the narrative. It determines the further fate of the fate of the fighters and immediately follows the never-ending battle, and it could also be depicted on the picture stone. It shows the same image as Bragi's shield, which he received towards the end of the 9th century and which he made the subject of his poetry – around the same time that the stonemason of Lärbro St Hammars I created his work. The woman in the centre of the line in question is probably Hildr, turning towards her father's landing ship, with the Hjaðningar appearing behind her, the warriors of her husband Heðinn (Oehrl 2019a, 224 with references).

Summing up: The top panel could – seen in the light of the Hildr story – depict the abduction of Hildr by Heðinn. The third panel with the sacrifice scene has probably attracted most interest. Seen in the perspective of the Hildr story, the sacrifice could be the one ordered as a plea for the happy end of Hogne's vendetta against Heðinn (Lindqvist 1968; Hauck 1976, 593). Lindqvist and Hauck further interpreted the battle scene with the arriving ship and the leading woman in the fourth panel as the “Hjaðningavíg”, the fight between Heðinn and Hogne for Hildr, who is in the centre. Lindqvist interpreted the scene in the fifth panel as the end of the Hjadninge battle.

The fourth panel is very similar to a panel on the large picture stone GP 397 Stenkyrka Smiss I. There, the woman leading the group of warriors meeting a manned ship, seems to carry ring-like objects – the neck rings for conciliation, as it is told in “Ragnarsdrápa” (Oehrl 2019a, 224)?

Some scholars, in contrast, have interpreted the imagery on this stone as various scenes from the Volsung legend (Hauck 1957a, p. 18; Hauck 1976a, p. 594; Hauck 1981a, p. 8; Andrén 1989, pp. 297–302; Andrén 1993, pp. 41 f., Fig. 3; Andren 1991; Gjessing 1943, p. 87; Staecker 2004, pp. 63 f.). The key motif is the horse with the treasure chest on its back in the fifth panel, which also occurs in other, unquestionable depictions of the Sigurd legend, such as the Ramsund rock outcropping (see Oehrl 2019a, 96 and fig. 69a). In this perspective, the figure lying below the horse could be Sigurd himself. According to A. Andrén, the “sacrifice” in the third panel is, actually, Gunnar’s and Hogni’s death: Gunnar is hanged in a tree, as it is told in the “Atlamál in grænlenzku” version of the Volsung legend. The panel showing warriors meeting a ship in the fourth panel could thus be Gunnar’s and Hogni’s travel to Atli – this, too, is told in the “Atlamál in grænlenzku”.

The large ship appears on many picture stones, and it is probably connected to ideas of travelling to the afterworld (see GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs for a more detailed account).

According to M. Srigley, the imagery on the stone Lärbro Stora Hammars I is connected to the Trojan war (Srigley 1988), but this suggestion is generally not approved (see Helmbrecht 2011, 101).
SO/MH
GP0397
GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs III

Runic Context and Comments ⓘ
When the stone was drawn for the first time in 1911, Gabriel Gustafson and Fredrik Nordin suspected that in the 6 cm wide horizontal borders defining the fifth panel, there were remains of numerous, faintly carved runes. But already in 1912, Gustafson was sure there were no runes at all, although he made a sketch (see ATA_run_och_bildstenssamlingen_Gabriel_Gustavsson_1912; Källström, forthcoming).
SO/MH

Type and Dating ⓘ
Tall mushroom-shaped late-type picture stone, belonging to ʻAbschnittʼ C according to Lindqvist (1941/42 I, p. 44). Lindqvist dates those stones to around AD 700. He assigns this stone to his ʻLärbrogruppeʼ (ibid. pp. 44, 47). Lori Eshleman (1983) argues that the stones of this group had been strongly influenced by the art of the Carolingian Renaissance and thus must be dated to the period between AD 790 and 840. Current research, however, tends to date the Type C/D stones roughly to between the 8th century and the 10th century. According to Rundkvist’s typology (2012, p. 159), the stone belongs to the outline type ʻtall4ʼ, which he dates to the Middle Viking Period. Varenius (1992, appendix 2), based on his analysis of the ship’s rigging (group IV segelskepp med skotnät), dates it to the 10th century. Lisbeth Imer counts this stone to her group 1D and gives a date “after 750” (Imer 2001, 98),
SO/MH

References ⓘ
Lindqvist 1941/1942 I fig. 81 f., II, pp. 83–87 fig. 434, 436–440; Gjessing 1943; Lindqvist 1947; Gauert 1958; Lindqvist 1960; Lindqvist 1968; Hauck 1976; Capelle 1980; Eshleman 1983; Srigley 1988; Andrén 1989; Andrén 1991; Jesch 1991, pp. 128–130; Imer 2001, p. 62, 89; Lamm/Nylén 2003, p. 184, no. 184; Staecker 2004; Pesch 2005; Helmbrecht 2011, p. 91, 96, 98 fig. 10h, 100 f., Nr. 931; Rundkvist 2012; Gotländskt Arkiv 2012: Title, p. 11, 15, 19, pp. 59–71, 83–90; Oehrl 2019a, pp. 12–13, 26, 28, 34, 61–62, 66–70, 73–74, 80–81, 89, 94–97, 214, 220, 222–226, 259, 264–265, 274, 282, 284, 286–287, 293, 296, 302, pl. 3, 19, 27, 31–34, 36, 65, 69, 71, 264–265, 272–274; Oehrl, forthcoming (Avian iconography); Källström, forthcoming.

 ⓘ
Fyndplats
Bildstenen är en del av det så kallade ”Daggängsmonumentet”, som består av fem stora bildstenar, som låg tillsammans bredvid tre rösen i Stora Hammars änge, som tidigare kallades Daggängen. Ängen ligger på gränsen mellan Lärbro och Hellvi socknar, och har tidigare tillhört Lilla Ire i Hellvi socken. Bildstenarna och rösena har länge varit kända av lokalbefolkningen, och platsen besöktes av arkeologer och runologer för första gången 1905. Platsen dokumenterades och undersöktes av Gabriel Gustafsson, Fredrik Nordin och Olof Sörling 1910. År 1922 beslutade den biträdande riksantikvarien att stenarna skulle flyttas från fyndplatsen till Statens Historiska Museum. Lokalt motstånd mot att flytta de stora stenarna till Stockholm resulterade i att Lärbro St Hammars I och IV (GP 253 och 256) ställdes upp på Bunge friluftsmuseum, medan II och III (GP 254 och 255) ställdes upp i närheten av fyndplatsen på Hellvi prästäng. Fragmentet V (GP 257) lämnades till Gotlands fornsal.

Ursprungligen har stenarna stått på rad vid de södra kanterna av tre rösen. Bildstenarnas bildsidor har varit vända mot söder. Vid kanten av det största röset stod GP 253 och 254. Röset är 12,8 m långt och 10,2 m brett samt 1 m högt. Mellan stenarna i röset påträffades obrända djurben och en pilspets. Mellan det stora röset och ett mindre röse (7 x 6 m) har GP 255 en gång stått, medan GP 256 har stått i kanten av det mindre röset. Marken runt dessa bildstenar var svart av träkol. Vid det mindre rösets västra kant påträffades ett kalkstensblock, med en slät översida. Blocket, som idag är försvunnet, tolkades som en form av altare. Ett tredje mindre röse (5 x 4 m) innehöll obrända djurben och fragment av en bränd kam.

I närheten av fyndplatsen finns ytterligare fem runda rösen och rester av ett stengrundshus samt en stensatt väg. Bildstenarna restes alltså vid en äldre övergiven gård, med hus, väg och rösen. Fyndplatsen är välbevarad, men den är överväxt och svårtillgänglig.

Nuvarande lokalisering
Bunge museum

Beskrivning
Nästan helt bevarad stor svampformig bildsten (period CD), totalt 391 cm hög och som bredast 162 cm. Tjockleken är 25-30 cm. Avståndet mellan de yttersta bildfälten är 309 cm. Eftersom stenen har stått utomhus sedan 1922 är den mycket väderbiten, trots att den skyddas mot frost på vintern. Därför är de äldre dokumentationerna av stenen mycket viktiga, framför allt Olof Sörlings teckningar och Sune Lindqvists målning.

Bildstenen består av sex bildfält inramade av kantdekor och en horisontell flätdekor. Normalt brukar bildfälten beskrivas från toppen till botten, även om det är oklart i vilken ordning bildfälten ska läsas.

Bildfält 1 i toppen visar förmodligen två män med svärd på ömse sidor av en sittande person, möjligen en kvinna. Till vänster finns en triangel och till höger en fågel.

Bildfält 2 är tydligast i den vänstra sidan. Där syns en tjudrad häst och två svärd, som står nedstuckna i marken. Bildens högra sida är mycket sämre bevarad, och innehåller kanske två män med resta händer riktade mot ytterligare en eller flera personer.

Bildfält 3 är idag endast delvis bevarat. Till vänster är två träd sammanbundna och under de två sammanbundna träden står en man med rep runt halsen och med en sköld. Bilden visar en situation inför en hängning, eftersom mannen skulle hängas om repen som band samman träden höggs av. En fågel sitter förmodligen i ett av träden, medan en rovfågel flyger mot den bundne mannen. Under fågel finns tre förbundna trianglar och möjligen ett altare med två män. Till höger om altaret finns fyra män med sköldar och resta svärd. Den främste håller kanske en död fågel i sin hand.

Mellan bildfält 3 och 4 finns en horisontell flätdekor.

Bildfält 4 visar till vänster ett skepp, med fyra män med resta svärd och en utlagd landgång. Skeppet möts till höger av en kvinna med rest hand och bakom henne tre män med sköldar och höjda svärd. Över skeppet finns ett avlångt föremål, som har uppfattats på olika sätt. Bilden har en nära parallell på Stenkyrka Smiss I (GP 397).

Bildfält 5 består av en häst, med en liggande man under hästen och en rovfågel över hästen. En linje sammanbinder den liggande mannen med hästens sadel eller börda. På ömse sidor av hästen står två män med höjda svärd. Den högra mannen av de två männen till vänster håller i hästens tyglar. Bilden har stora likheter med Lärbro Tängelgårda I.

Bildfält 6 föreställer ett stort segelskepp, med komplicerad rigg, drakhuvud på fören till höger samt styrman med styråra till vänster. Bilden är delvis skadad, men sköldar och besättning antyds i den vänstra delen av skeppet. Under skeppet syns vågor.

Datering
Bildstenen tillhör avsnitt C och kan grovt sett dateras till 700-900-talen.

Tolkning
Bilderna på bildstenen av getts skilda tolkningar av olika forskare sedan länge. Framför allt har bilderna knutits till berättelserna om Hildr eller Völsungasagan.

AA

Title
GP 253 Lärbro Stora Hammars I

Fornsök ID ⓘ
L1977:7713 & L1975:9272

RAÄ ID ⓘ
Hellvi 203:1 & Bunge 142

Jan Peder Lamm ID
184

Statens Historiska Museer ID ⓘ
29974:1

Lindqvist Title ⓘ
Lärbro, Stora Hammars I

Links
K-samsök
K-Samsök