Picturestones 700 - 900 AD Gotland

Piturestones, farmen, Edda, Thor, Sassanidian coins, Aake Ohlmarks, Valhall, Valkyria, bautastone, Fylgia, Scucca, Slejpner, Odin, Ardre, Trivalde, Triglav, Trihead-Thurs, Elle, Svatevit, Thor's fishing, Midgard's Worm, Snake Pit, Wayland, hird, Mithras, holmgang, god

Altogether they have found more than 400 tombstones and 200 of them are decorated with pictures. Here I have selected some stones and comment the motifs that should illustrated the world of the farmen at Gotland. Farmen = travelling men and understood that they were trading.

The enigma is the phase shift from the iconic stones during the Golden Age and the mythic picture stones. I do not have time and material to get pictures of all stones to see if there is a gradual change in style. I concentrate on the heydays and the stones with the richest motif collection. The pictorial style lasts to 10^th century when they use the same style of slings with runes as in rest of Scandinavia. That is also an enigma that entire Scandinavia practice the same style in rune stones. However with some luxurious ones especially in East Sweden and a small collection pictures stones in Norway.

We know of violence in middle of 5^th century with depositions in Illerup bog, burnt settlements on the coastland of South Sweden, Oeland and Gotland. It is hard to date such things exactly so we cannot tell if some hordes of Attila's men visited the North. In Widsith there is a verse

Next trouble is when Odoacar was killed and the Heruli and Rugi lost reputation to Theoderic 493 AD. Maybe that caused that Erils/ Heruli were driven from their mainland at the Danish isles around 508 AD as the Roman sources tells. They moved probably to East Sweden "outside the Gauts" but it could also be to Oeland and Gotland. In 512 AD some of the Heruli under Anastacius' reign moved to the same places, while others stay in Yugoslavia and become brothers with the Langobards.

We need to know the background when we ask from where came mythical motifs as for instance the idol Thor and Odin. Then West Europé or the Frankish sphere that included Saxony is the nearest assumption. The upper class was traders and after the troubled time they surely reassembled their trade and reconciliated bonds with the Danes. Some of their relatives were in England and the Friesians were old brothers. We see this influence in figurative art of Birka

Ribe, Denmark on skull bone …Ulfur, Oden, Hydyr helped rod against Awerki and Tverkun Egbor … Ribe was founded by Frisians

Arguel, France on silica stone "arbitag ? wodan ? lugohha› ? zej ? kim ?" … here we recognize Odin Loke, Tiw/ Tyr and Frej that is 'kim' in Danish

Nordendorf fibula from Nidersachsen "loga ? ore ? wodan ? wigi donar ? awa leub wini … here we get Loke, Ore?, Odin and Vige-Thor consecrator

Kaerlich Rheineland-Pfalz on fibula "wodani ? hailag ?"

These four texts indicate the origin of Eddagods not seen in elder place names. From these places are indications of Heruli and trade during Migration Age. It seems that there are concentrations of influence in Uppland or the Birka area and in south Norway north of Oslo. To that we must add Gotland as the transit trade or free trade-island with the Edda gods on picture stones from early Viking Age. Later the Sigurd theme on rune stones is seen in the same areas. Sigurd and Wayland theme seems to come from the Frankish sphere.

Probably the iron, amber and fur trade gave a lot of money and roughly it seems natural to think they bartered with West Europe. We see it in some of the motifs connected to myths from west. The formalism from Migration Age is gone and the pictures allude myths of the upper class. The details on the stones gives us amazing facts about daily life, about far trade and the home, the ship of these farmen. Let us start with this from Smiss :

The head of stone usually shows the upper world. Maybe this is the dream of duel with giants at Valhall with the Shield-Virgin watching? The time or eternity spiral separates the worlds like on many other stones. At the bottom are nine waves and according to the tradition the ninth is worst. There is some rigmarole about these but I do not find it just now.

These farmen "went on tour" like the Norse today. On seas the 9^th wave was to look out for. This like some of the other stones show that we can identify more than myths from the images. Gotland and East Sweden got naturally influences from East - Southeast. Numerous pictures provide examples of long trousers, baggy riding breeches, tunics, cloaks, skirts, aprons and shawls. Jewellery, brooches and other dress accessories are richly represented in the graves. In the Vendel graves they have found some Byzantine textiles. For the upper class only the best was good enough. That began already in Roman Iron Age of course

The picture stones give us evidence that some of the myths we can read in the Edda were alive during Viking Age that began in 8^th century. Some of the myth elements came surely from West Europe. To identify figures out of myths we need clear details of the myth or attributes belonging to the certain idol. At Gotland we have that for instance when Thor rises his hammer to sanctifying. The position is old as we see it in the rock-carvings of Vitlycke Bohuslen from ca 1250 BC:

On the tombstones we see increased use of ornament slings. The so-called animal -ornament we find in Lindisfarne Gospels ca 690 AD and other illuminated books. Some of them copies the Eagle of St. John and others picture stones have the original Time or Life snakes belonging to the very old symbolism of course. Some elements are maybe Frankish style and during Viking Age many styles flowers such as English knotstyle, Borre, Jelling, Urnes, Ringerike, Mammen and some seen at Isle of Man.

We need to know the Edda literature and let our associations flow. The earliest part the Poetic Edda was probably written down by Saemundr the Wise around 1100 AD. The rest is written later and we do not know how much is fictiion by Snorre Sturlusson in end of 12^th century when we also got Gesta Danorun by Saxo and Magnus Barefoot Sagu by Theodericus and other literary works was written, however in Latin.

We see clear phase shift from the iconic illustrations at the early tombstones however it last only few hundred years. Now we see the Edda myths in the stones and it confirms that the myth existed at least from this period onward … Thor and Odin do not occur in early Scandinavian scripts. Else we have only evidence from 12^th to 13^th centuries and good or late invented sagas that became idolised and we do not know how much is true myth. In science we always need substantial proof and that we get about some Edda fragments from the picture stones.

The Edda myths do not help the farmer much and naturally the boys nowadays want to hear about martial stuff. Let us look at a "simple " stone showing the dream of Afterlife up in Valhall after the last days of battle in life … "life is a tour". On the stones the tour is picture as a ride on horse alternatively by wagon and in life the sea-ride. However sea burial was also in practise in some places.

The rider is probably the dead that rides the blinded horse of king size and much bigger than the contemporary horse and very big compared with Gotland's "rus". The shield is inherited from the earlier stones. The Valkyria serve him mjod/ mead and that indicates he is originally a man. The Trinity symbol is the World Order and the three entwined snakes are the moon year in three. Notice the knickerbockers.

The Oldie seems to be knocking the soul into stone like we do in our tombstones. The text is hardly intelligible. Surely some of the horses in the earlier period of picture stones are Pegasus, the heavenly horse that was fix stars of spring equinox in entire Europe. It is seen on a big group of golden bracts. It has also been symbol for the noble man since Bronze Age and here on the last trip.

The use bautastone = "knock in stone" and rising fence was use in some places since Iron Age. And some stones are broken in the top to show the end of someone.  The shape of some of the stones is surely meant to be phallus. The head of the stones is the Upper World like at some of the Sami drums. The ancient heaven was a model for the lower real world and of course the higher Mights have their high-sea. The soul flies to heaven for Neanderthals, Egyptians as well as for northerners. We tell also our children about heaven and winged angels as mankind has done for long. We should not make the ancient world more different than necessary.

As always nobility writes the history and these stones are not made for everyone. The nobility imposed "the Word" and world order on the people as a kind of domination. These individual stones were made as claims and many of them are found near ancient roads. Gotland was the worlds of traders and they wanted to show wealth but also to show that they were just like everyone. They picture the world as "a tour" and at least the males in the surroundings are needed as crew. On board there must be a shipper but else everyone is equal and they have to "draw in same direction". Rune texts tell about "the skipper and all Vikings".

We see there is a corpse in the eagle. This is the typical shape of the eagle and there are more of them. Here it seems that the poet did not really know about the idea since he his description does not make sense. But there are some eagle images where the eagle eats something and the motif is used about the battlefield. There are more of them surely due to poor understanding when the sagas were written down in 12 - 13^th century.

Fylgia/ Scucca/ skugge / shadow is the difficult concept about something that follows the man and it can take shapes of animals. Surely the rational part is the nickname that characterise a man. Naturally others give the name/ characteristic and it depends on their imagination. Or it is simply memory of man that was important. It is very old use that the time of funeral is 40 days in which the person is mourned and also driven out of mind. Maybe it comes originally from the resurrection period of certain barley in Sumer. Funeral as well as growing seed was a process of resurrection.

Here I vote for the heavenly Pegasus since there is the snake under it. That is the heavenly Watersnake and the 8 legs symbolise the compass rose. Åke Ohlmarks have no comment to the symbolism in this and the similar Ardre VIII. The name of Odin means "at the edge" = the leader. … Even in our time very many dream about being leader and have some idol. Today it seems to be Per Gyllenhammar in polls. Here Odin is idol for the male league as collective.

Michelangelo told us the real nature of leadership when he put horn on Moses in the Pietro in Vincoli chapel in Rome. The worldly power have horns … today the BIG leaders think they are worth several hundred millions in parachute agreement. There is a demon in leadership. Still we have also many that never would tolerate that someone "take their head"

The 8-legged heavenly horse

I think the back of the horse is 2 + serpents and that is same symbolism as in the rock-carvings at Haugsbyn meaning two moon half-years 354 days plus 11 days to even sun year. . The eight legs symbolise in eight divided year and round in the sky. The four bird-heads are the cardinal directions. In the saddle we see something like a Celtic rose, but when we look closer it is a double spiral and a head as symbol for the trisected moon year.

On the stone from Ardre the net in lower left corner is better on the stone. Some want to see it as real fish net. However it could allude the saga when Thor holds one corner and the Aesir the other when they try to catch Loke in guise of a trout in the Franagerfors. The motif was seemingly popular and we see it on the Gosforth Cross too. But the image could also be the table for playing the game. Life is a game and we see that symbolism also in those days for instance Gallehus horn ca 400 AD. See also Voluspa verse 7 & 8 when the Aesirs plan at the game table. It is at that time you try to fool the other part and get him to think about other things

Over the net the Fisherman spears some fish. We do not know about that from the sagas. But we know from the real world that they went for the narwhal and other big fish at Lofoten. For fishermen it was the "high game" like the game for the Dreamelk and Bear among hunters. It is not easy to separate saga and real world, but so it is that often the ideas inspires and is part of the real game.

For these farmen/ sailors the sea was the real thing. We see it from the ships often drawn in detail so we can reconstruct them in our days. They are not iconic/ symbolic. They have found bear claws at Gotland. I do not think that there were bears at the island those days. But they could make a trip to Helsingland for iron and at the same time go for the high game in the real Bear-land.

Ohlmarks wants to see Trivalde/ Triglav or three-head Thurs between the fishing scenes. That triad symbolises the trisected moon year. In West-Europe there are finds of bust of that idol. There is also some with an "inner" eye on the brow. That associates to Indian idols.

That is the four-headed giant Elle (Danish aelde = age, time) understood as four seasons but also all metaphors about time and age. Time wins in the end! Outgaard-Loke lures Thor to wrestle with Elle. Thor, the hero asks for more time … who is in the rush to the grave? Naturally Elle is of same family as Svatevit and Vishnu and we get a name to such idols

Archbishop Absalon made 1169 AD the crusade that should teach the Slaves a lesson. On of the symbolic acts was to overturn the stelae of Svantevit and Triglav = three-headed. They continued to Garz at south Rügen to overturn the 7-head statue that perhaps symbolised seven summer moons. You never value what you do not understand in this cases the idols and the Slaves.

The four headed could be compared to Indian Vishnu and similar symbolism about four seasons among Celts. The three-headed symbolism is the moon symbolism from the same areas. The religion always takes the head and then it is easier for the church to get tenth and the king to plunder and impose taxes on foreign "savages". The Celtic culture was gone for long in Denmark so they did not remember that their ancestors practised the same rational World Order. Still it shows the similar ancient cultures on both sides of the Baltic.

Mankind has brain cells in the size of universe and chaos. We need to fill it with something and we need framework and roadwork to navigate. The sagas is just part of it and they contend allegories about life. For me Thor's fishing is also Hemmingway's "the Old Man and the Sea". His life story is that dam Big Fish.

Thor's fishing is in the world of myths and fictive ideas. We do not have the key to all allegories and we see these giants as persons as such … however not everyday-types of course. Thor uses the head of old giant Hymer's ox. Strong as he is he just twist it off and use it as bait when going for Midgaard's Worm that encircles the whole known world. It is the horizon. It is the idea of making a border between our world and universe.

Hard to know the name of the Bronze Age master smith in Scandinavia. Was it Thor or Loke there are few rock-carvings? Maybe Loke is the Celtic Lugh Samildanach = with many skills and he is smith in some story. The name could be "lock" and the abstract capacity to lock in or catch/ solve problems. He is always the free will and creativity needs freedom. Mankind could not say "No" to anything if it is desirable. Loke was fettered like Prometheus … people continue work in dangerous jobs as long as it means money. We know only that the oldies Thor and Loke are the last in the tradition of archetypes for doing things.

Wayland is spread in West-Europe and he seen for instance at Franks Casket from Northumberland. Some expert's means that the Migration Age and happenings then inspired to details in the tale. However it is always easy but not necessary true if allegories are used as description of history. Still smith but hero since he had the skill of making good swords and that tells among heroes and readers. The farmen employed surely smiths on their farms and like other skilled artisans that fabricated goods to next summer season.

At Mestermyr Gotland they have found a unique casket with a smiths tools. We can notice that they have not altered much to our days. Many artisans surround their job with mystic … and I remember the village smith of my childhood. I think that smiths are the best/ worst to scare of children so they stay away from the dangerous fire and sparks. Another thing they guarded their trade secrets well.

Nidud steals one of the golden rings and gives it to his daughter Boedvild. Then he captures the smith with plans to let him do many rings to him. Wayland's forge is above the stable and his prison behind that. Nidud's wife recommends cutting Wayland's Achilles tendons so he cannot escape. If Wayland want food he has to forge precious things. Boedvild's ring breaks and she goes to the smith for mending. Wayland seduce her as revenge.

Nidud's two sons get curious and want to know the smith. But Wayland lures them to put their heads on the anvil and he shortens them with a sword. They lie behind the forge. He makes embellished bowls of their skulls and gives them to Nidud. Wayland's brother Egil collects eagle feathers and he makes an eagle guise. In front of the forge he flies away in front of Boedvild who is pregnant. In the end he comes back to her … we know not if the last bit is original.

There are two huts/ cabins with a pair. In one case there is "a staff" between them that could mean swearing oath at the sword to the hird/ witan of nobility. In the other case they kneel in front of something. The shape of the hut is like other sacred images … see below. In some of Olaf the Holy's tales they tell that same ritual was used for swearing the hird oath and swear to be Christian. Christianity naturally used rituals and other things from the old days.

Funeral

Here we can start at the cabin with two kneeling and maybe a sword between. Maybe we should call it local court and I suppose it could be the inner room in a hall too. Swearing oath and get a sword from the hird/ court of trusted knight was only for the male league and men joining the league. We know it better from the age of knights. On some of the bracts of Valdemar I we see him entrust a knight with a sword. Later the Church wanted the ritual in Church. St. Birgitta wrote the special oath for this occasion in hope that the knight should follow high ethical ideals.

From motifs like these we can also draw conclusion about the noble upper class that rose these stones. Later the Catholic Church had the Guild of St. Nils/ Nicolaus for traders and sailors … as blessed Adam Smith said, "Whenever three merchants put their heads together we can suspect intrigues".

Below the hut there is maybe a blower and an anvil. Ohlmarks sees it as Loke forge Sif's hair. As said before the Smith was the hero and inventor. He refers to Snorre and Skáldskaparmal/ The poesy of skalds … once Loke was at the forge he forged the ship Skidbladner and the spear Gungner. Then he bet with the dwarfs Brokk and Sindre and said that they could not make such things. (They did not know that Loke was the lazy slow fox). They felt they had to show him and forged the boar Gullinborste, the ring Draupner and Thor's hammer. Maybe we see the boar's buttock at left on the anvil?

At left in bottom we have the funeral suite and here using horse and wagon. Not to forget that the wheel came to Scandinavia nearly simultaneously as it was invented in Sumer 4^th millennium. In rock-carvings we see all normal vehicles ship, wagon, and sledge that are normal in our climate and environment. Hard to tell is it the corpse as cargo or the Fylgia/ Shadow? In the middle at the bottom we see Underworld with the corpse and Hel, Lady of Underworld. The worm Nidhoegg comes through a hole in roof searching for blood from the corpse. Hard to tell which the birds over the Underworld are. Could it be the swans from the Wayland suite?

I left the best bit tot the end. Over the wagon we see the holmgang/ duel that of symbolises life. But it was much more since the rules tell about order in society. Holmgang should be outside the peaceful society on a holm /island if possible. There should also be a judge or ceremony master and Thor was the archetype

It is the question of language and how to describe the world. Some attributes of Thor could be compared Mesopotamian Utu/ Shamash in Mesopotamia with him standing in the door to the New Year. He has two faces and look backward and forwar and that is also Roman Janus. Many situations in life has "doors between two stages" and in some of them we use ceremony master. We have the priest or the mayor.

Thor with the hammer is separated inside the dotted line. It is the way of separating the real world and that of ideas/ archetypes. His hammer looks more like the double axe in 4^th millennium. It symbolises that it should protect in both direction and both parts in the duel.

This is in contrast to the burlesque sagas about Thor but it should fit boys of all ages. There is no use of that in farmers' everyday life. But how did the nobility spend their days? They had top represent the order in society otherwise they would be shortened by the stock of ordinary people that were in majority. The one-armed Tyr and the thane = old wise man were the heroes in society … too often interpreters of ancestry see only martial stuff and big chieftains … you see what you want to see.

On the Sami drum and the stones have often the Upper World/ ideas of society in the head of the representation as idols and archetypes. In the middle is the real world and the Underworld represent gone times but also experience and folk memory. The picture stones of Gotland gives us a tour into the first millennium ideas in society. In opposition to many historians and interpreters I would say there was law and order and the Edda myths are much more than childish "pagan" tales. Mankind have lost the capacity to see into allegories and the meaning there.

Think about it, my dear old Danes are just now 15/10/2004 08:10:52 at war instead of making mutual agreements for peace ????