GP 578 Alva änge

Context and Discovery
Lindqvist gives no information about the find circumstances. The only information available in the catalogues of Statens Historiska Museum in Stockholm is that the stone was found on the property of Änge gård in Alva parish, sold by R. Jacobsson and acquired by the Museum in 1910 (see also Fornvännen 1910, p. 245). A number of other archaeological finds were found at the farmstead and its immediate surroundings, including several gravklot (RAÄ Alva 82:1; 122:2–4). There are several stone settings, including a mound (gravröse), situated just east and southeast of the farmstead (Alva 27:1–4).

Measurements, Material and Condition
Lindqvist (1941/42 II, p. 17) describes the stone as follows: “Limestone slab, 4 cm thick. The obverse naturally even, but with several chippings on a rough surface that had obviously been there already when the stone was worked into a picture stone. The levelled narrow sides meet the broad sides at right angles, and the reverse is naturally even, slightly curved. The width of the head is 42.5 cm; the stone’s maximum height is 42.5 cm after the mutilation of the lower part.” The fragment represents an almost complete, small picture stone, with only a small part of the base and the entire root missing.

Description of Ornament and Images
“Decorated with carved lines, 1–3 mm wide and rounded at the bottom. Within the framing border, the lower part of the field, as far as it is preserved, is filled with a rectangular grid pattern with at least six horizontal lines. Above this section, there is a running horse on the left, placed in a manner that leads to expect a second horse, heraldically juxtaposed to the first, on the other half of the upper part. This section of the obverse, however, is severely degraded by dripping water or other erosion” (Lindqvist 1941/42 II, pp. 17–18). The border decoration represents a typical simplified twisted cord pattern.

Lindqvist only provides a photo of the unpainted stone on which the horse, in particular its forepart, are very difficult to discern (1941/42 II, fig. 309). The photos kept in ATA (Run- och bildstenssamling), including the one taken by Faith-Ell in 1933, are without paint as well. However, there is a small collection of drawings on tracing paper that highlight the details of the horse figure.

Interpretation of the Imagery
If there are indeed two facing horses depicted on the stone, which is quite plausible, several similar motifs can be noted on early type picture stones (ʻAbschnittʼ A). Based on the Migration-Period picture stone from Häggeby in Uppland and on medieval literary sources, these motifs are commonly interpreted as depictions of ritual horse fights – GP 198 HELLVI IRE 7, GP 99 Garda kyrka 3, GP 554 Väskinde kyrka 5, and GP 132 Hablingbo Havor I. That this motif was used by Type B artists as well is proven by GP 78 Eskelhem Larsarve II (see IX). Regarding the horse fight interpretation, see the entry of GP 198 Hellvi Ire 7 and the following literature: Gjessing 1943, pp. 29–30; Lindqvist 1955, pp. 41–43; Ellmers 1970, pp. 243–245; Lamm/Nylén 2003, p. 26; Althaus 1993, pp. 87–89, 192–193; Lamm 1999; Beck 2003, pp. 96–97; Guber 2011, pp. 55–56; Pesch 2015a, p. 357; Oehrl 2019a, pp. 62–63.
GP 198 Hellvi Ire 7
GP 99 Garda kyrka 3
GP0554
GP 132 Hablingbo Havor I
GP 78 Eskelhem Larsarve II

Type and Dating
Middle type picture stone, which means a Type B ʻdwarf stoneʼ, dated to AD 500 to 700. The monument belongs to the group of Type B stones featuring a convex head with corners protruding horizontally. Lindqvist does not assign Alva Änge to any subgroup. According to Martin Rundkvist’s (2012, p. 159) typology, the stone’s shape represents Type dwarf4, belonging to his period 4, which he dates to the Late Vendel Period. The chessboard pattern in the monument’s lower part is reminiscent of the rhombic pattern on GP 193 Hellvi Ire III; GP 354 Sjonhem Lilla Sojvide; GP 340 Sanda Sandegårda I; GP 273 Norrlanda Bjärs; and GP 92 Gammelgarn Rommunds. By far the best match, however, at least regarding the decoration, is the Type B stone GP 78 Eskelhem Larsarve II, which features a chessboard pattern in the lower part, two facing horses in the head field, and a framing border with a geometric twisted cord.
GP 193 Hellvi Ire III
GP 354 Sjonhem Lilla Sojvide
GP 340 Sanda Sandegårda I
GP 273 Norrlanda Bjärs
GP 92 Gammelgarn Rommunds
GP 78 Eskelhem Larsarve II