GP 562 Väte Mölner

Context and Discovery
Found in 1967 in a Viking Age grave excavated on property owned by Arthur Hederstedt. According to the record in Gotland Museum, it was recovered by Erik Nylén in 1967 (Gotlands Museum GFC10976). The picture stone had been reused as a cover slab on a female grave of the late Viking Age, with the carved surface turned downwards (Althin 1962, p. 39; Lindqvist 1983, p. 82).

Beneath the stone was a stone packing and a hollow, probably caused by a wooden chest now decayed. The grave goods included one to two beads, three animal head brooches, a bronze arm-ring and a knife with handle and sheath, comb, wooden bucket and remains of textiles and plants (Lindqvist 1982, p. 82). Judging by the burial goods, the grave is a female burial. The dating is expressed in different ways: 10th century, second half of the 10th century, and more precisely as around 1000 (Rundkvist 2012, p. 154; Lindqvist 1983, pp. 82–83; WKG IV, pp. 750–751). The picture stone is about one or two centuries older than the grave, which is one of the latest in this grave field. The grave is orientated in east-west direction. This, in combination with the stone lid, has been interpreted as the deceased being a Christian individual buried in an old pre-Christian grave field (Burström 1996, p. 25; Göransson 1999, p. 25, p. 28; Lindqvist 1983, pp. 145–146; Nylén/Lamm 1987, pp. 140–141; Andreeff 2001, p. 14). In all, the grave field had 130 features. It was investigated and removed in 1958–59, 1962 and 1967 (Fornsök L1975:1507; Lindqvist 1982, pp. 5–6).

It is known from several places that C-stones were used as lids or ceilings in Viking Period graves (Varenius 2012, p. 46; Rundkvist 2012, p. 151). In this case, there apparently was no other superstructure on the grave. The site of Mölner is situated within the area of Mulde, an area rich with ancient remains including a hill fort, house foundations, Celtic fields, grave mounds and cairns (Andreeff 2012, p. 132).

In 2002, there was a request from Väte Hembygdsförening to exhibit the stone in the barn attached to a cottage in care of the society (Gotlands museum’s archive).
LKÅ

Measurements, Material and Condition
Height c. 2.10 m, width c. 1.50 m. Maximum width of the head 0.98 m, at the neck 0.83 m, and at the base 1.50 m. Thickness c. 0.2 m.

Limestone. The slab that has been chosen for this stone has an extremely large quantity of fossils, probably more than any other picture stone. The surface is even. It is more affected by weathering than by wear from trampling and such. It does not seem to be worn by footsteps. The condition of the stone is generally good, even though the carvings today are difficult to see. The lower left corner of the root is missing, but this has not affected the pictures. The stone was painted and there are still some traces of colour. The colour is faint and greyish, as compared to the original black. Only faint lines remain of the carving, except for the sail which was carved with deeper lines (pers. comm. Per Widerström).
LKÅ

Description of Ornament and Images
The picture stone features a ship, an equestrian and possibly a woman with a drinking horn. The stone and its motifs have earlier been treated by several scholars (Burström 1996, p. 25; Göransson 1999, p. 25, p. 28; Lindqvist 1983; Nylén/Lamm 1987, pp. 140–141; Andreeff 2001, p. 14). Beate Böttger-Niedenzu included the stone in her study of the equestrian motif (Böttger-Niedenzu 1982, p. 30).

Ship with chequered sail. Parts of the rigging and the curved stem are visible in the right part of the ship, but the left part of the ship motif is damaged. In the image zone in the head, there is a horse with a rider turning to the right and a woman with a horn (Althin 1962, p. 39). The rider carries a spear and possibly a shield, but the image is obscure. The figure to the right in the top field cannot be made out. Marie Göransson judged both human figures possibly to be men, according to her categorization based on for example stature, dress, beards and haircuts (Göransson 1999, pp. 35ff., p. 302).

There may be something lying beneath the belly of the horse, perhaps a human figure as on GP 41 Bro kyrka, GP 171 Lokrume Kyrka and in the head of GP 260 Lärbro Tängelgårda III.

Between the ship and the top scene with the equestrian, there is space for a substantial dividing zone, just as wide as the border zone of the stone. The contents of this cannot be made out; most probably it consists of knots or interlace but there might be room enough for additional figures. Framing the motifs is a double contour line, visible on the left side of the stone.
LKÅ
GP 41 Bro Ekes
GP0171
GP0260

Interpretation of the Imagery
The pictures in the top image zone very likely feature a Welcome scene, where the warrior is greeted in Valhalla by a woman with a drinking horn, as on, e.g., GP 94 Garda Bote, GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs III, GP 5 Alskog Tjängvide I and GP 209 Klinte Hunninge I (Ney 2012). This motif harks back to classical models, but in an Old Norse context the motif is usually interpreted as a valkyrie greeting a fallen warrior with a drink at the gate of the warrior paradise Valhalla (Oehrl 2020c, p. 128, p. 132). This interpretation is largely based on Eiriksmál and Atlakviða (Oehrl 2020c, pp. 132–134; see more in GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs III).

The large ship seen below the neck can also be included in the concept of a journey to Valhalla. The Viking period stones are often believed to feature the dead warrior’s journey to Valhalla and his reception there (Lindqvist 1941/42, p. I:102; Näsman 1972, p. 100; Böttger-Niedenzu 1982, p. 102; Nylén / Lamm 2003, p. 70; Sundquist 2007, p. 98; Oehrl 2020c). In line with this overarching interpretation, the ship has been interpreted as a death-ship, constituting a part of the journey to the afterlife (Ebert 1919, p. 189; Nylén / Lamm 2003, p. 70; Ellmers 1986, pp. 352ff; but see Lindqvist 1962, p. 21 for a contrary view; Böttger-Niedenzu, 1982, pp. 9–102; Näsman, 1972, p. 100).

Re-use of picture stones is a well-known phenomenon, treated as an example of the interest the past shows for its own past. Martin Rundkvist identified 47 picture stones that were re-used in 31 features dating to the period c. AD 375–1100. All but two of these are graves, and most of these graves (21) are from the 10th and 11th centuries. Most often the Late Viking Age burials with re-used picture stones are male burials, whereas the stone from Väte Mölner covers a female burial (Rundkvist 2012, pp. 146–147, p. 150). Rundkvist indicates that this kind of re-use is so frequent that it can be regarded as an established custom. Further, these graves often have other archaic features, for example old jewelry (heirloom). Rundkvist’s interpretation is that it is a reaction to the prolonged Christianization of Gotland (Rundkvist 2003, p. 70, p. 73; 2012, p. 149).

In 2007, the stone was 3D-scanned with an optical 3D-scanner (ATOS I) with a resolution of 0.27 mm in the result (Kitzler Åhfeldt 2013). Unfortunately, the 3D-scan does not help much in the interpretation of the pictures in the top image zone. However, it can be seen that the lozenges of the sail were cut with thin lines, main type no. 2 of the previously identified carving techniques for the rendering of the sails. Other stones with this carving technique in the sail include for example GP 209 Klinte Hunninge I and GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs III (Kitzler Åhfeldt 2012, pp. 186–187; 2015, p. 461 Fig. 53).
LKÅ
GP0094
GP 390 Stenkyrka Lillbjärs III
GP 5 Alskog Tjängvide I
GP0209

Type and Dating
Type C, D or E, Viking Age. Dating AD 700–800 (Lamm/Nylén 2003, p. 141).
LKÅ

References
Althin 1962, pp. 39–40; Böttger-Niedenzu 1982, p. 30, Abb. 32b, Tabelle I; Lindqvist 1983, p. 8, pp. 82–83, pp. 145–146; Lamm/Nylén 2003, pp. 140–141; WKG IV, pp. 750–751; Rundkvist 2012, p. 151, p. 154; Varenius 2012, p. 46.

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