# Hagby Runestones

The Hagby Runestones are four runestones that are raised on the courtyard of the farm Hagby in Uppland, Sweden. They are inscribed in Old Norse using the Younger Futhark and they date to the 11th century. Three of the runestones (U 153, U 154 and U 155) are raised in memory of Varangians who died somewhere in the East, probably in Kievan Rus'.
In 1929/30, they were discovered in the walls of the basement of the farm Litzby, which stood a few hundred metres from Hagby, but which burnt down in the 1880s. The runestones were burnt and fragmented but it was possible to piece 120 fragments together into the four runestones that are found on the courtyard of Hagby today.
There are additional runestones on the property of Hagby, and notably U 143, which is treated in the article Uppland Rune Inscriptions 101, 143 and 147, and U 148, which is treated in the article Jarlabanke Runestones.

## U 152

This runestone is raised by a lady named Holmfríðr who had lost both her husband Björn and their son Sighvatr. The inscription is classified as being in runestone style Pr4, also known as the Urnes style. This runestone style is characterized by slim and stylized animals that are interwoven into tight patterns. The animals heads are typically seen in profile with slender almond-shaped eyes and upwardly curled appendages on the noses and the necks.
hulmfriʀ
Holmfríðr
Holmfriðr
-it
[l]ét
[l]et
--isa
[re]isa
[ræ]isa
istain
stein
stæin
þina
þenna
þenna
iftiʀ
eptir
æftiʀ
biarn
Bjǫrn,
Biorn,
buanta
bónda
boanda
isin
sinn,
sinn,
auk
ok
ok
iftiʀ
eptir
æftiʀ
isikat
Sighvat,
Sighvat,
(s)un
son
sun
isin
sinn.
sinn.
× hulmfriʀ × -it --isa × istain × þina × iftiʀ × biarn × buanta isin × auk × iftiʀ × isikat (s)un isin ×
 Holmfríðr [l]ét [re]isa stein þenna eptir Bjǫrn, bónda sinn, ok eptir Sighvat, son sinn.
 Holmfriðr [l]et [ræ]isa stæin þenna æftiʀ Biorn, boanda sinn, ok æftiʀ Sighvat, sun sinn.
Holmfríðr had this stone raised in memory of Bjǫrn, her husbandman and in memory of Sighvatr, her son.

## U 153

This runestone is raised by the same Sveinn and Ulfr as on the U 155, below, which is probably the other runestone mentioned in the inscription. They had them made in memory of their brothers Halfdan and Gunnarr who died somewhere in the East, as Varangians. It has been suggested that the words after east may be either "in Greece" or "in Garðar (Kiev)," but a fracture in the runestone prevents any actual reading of these runes. This inscription is classified as being in runestone style Pr3, which is also a Urnes style.
…[(u)](a)i-
[S]vei[nn]
[S]væi[nn]
[(a)]uk
ok
ok
ulf-
Ulf[r]
Ulf[ʀ]
litu
létu
letu
raisa
reisa
ræisa
stai-(a)
stei[n]a
stæi[n]a
e(f)tiʀ
eptir
æftiʀ
hlftan
Halfdan
Halfdan
auk
ok
ok
eftiʀ
eptir
æftiʀ
kunar
Gunnar,
Gunnar,
bryþr
brœðr
brøðr
sina
sína.
sina.
þaiʀ
Þeir
Þæiʀ
antaþus
enduðust
ændaðus
aust…
aust[r]
aust[r]
…(u)m
…[(u)](a)i- × [(a)]uk × ulf- litu × raisa × stai-(a) × e(f)tiʀ × hlftan · auk · eftiʀ × kunar × bryþr × sina × þaiʀ · antaþus × aust… …(u)m
[S]vei[nn] ok Ulf[r] létu reisa stei[n]a eptir Halfdan ok eptir Gunnar, brœðr sína. Þeir enduðust aust[r] …
[S]væi[nn] ok Ulf[ʀ] letu ræisa stæi[n]a æftiʀ Halfdan ok æftiʀ Gunnar, brøðr sina. Þæiʀ ændaðus aust[r] …
Sveinn and Ulfr had the stones raised in memory of Halfdan and in memory of Gunnarr, their brothers. They met their end in the east …

## U 154

This runestone is also raised in memory of Varangians who died somewhere in the east, but these are different people from those in the previous runestone and in the following one. U 154 is classified as being carved in runestone style Pr3.
[þ(o)]…r
lit
lét
let
rai…
rei[sa]
ræi[sa]
…fast
…fast
…fast
auk
ok
ok
at
at
at
(k)aiʀbiarn
Geirbjǫrn,
Gæiʀbiorn,
bruþ-
brœð[r]
brøð[r]
…i(ʀ)
[þe]ir
[þæ]iʀ
(t)o
dóu
dou
a(u)s…
aus[tr].
aus[tr].
[þ(o)]…r × lit × rai… … …fast · auk × at × (k)aiʀbiarn × bruþ- … …i(ʀ) · (t)o a(u)s… ×
… lét rei[sa] … …fast ok at Geirbjǫrn, brœð[r] … [þe]ir dóu aus[tr].
… let ræi[sa] … …fast ok at Gæiʀbiorn, brøð[r] … [þæ]iʀ dou aus[tr].
… had raised … …-fastr and in memory of Geirbjǫrn, (their) brothers … They died in the east.

## U 155

This runestone is raised by the same Sveinn and Ulfr as U 153, above. This stone adds the names of Örn and Ragnfríðr, the parents of the four brothers.
…n
[Svei]nn
[Svæi]nn
auk
ok
ok
ulfr
Ulfr
Ulfʀ
litu
létu
letu
rai(s)(a)
reisa
ræisa
sta…
ste[ina
stæ[ina
eptir
æftiʀ
brœðr
brøðr
…na
sí]na.
si]na.
þaiʀ
Þeir
Þæiʀ
uaru
váru
vaʀu
suniʀ
synir
syniʀ
arnar
Arnar
Arnaʀ
auk
ok
ok
raknfriþar
Ragnfríðar.
Ragnfriðaʀ.
…n × auk × ulfr litu × rai(s)(a) sta… … … …na × þaiʀ × uaru × suniʀ × arnar × auk × raknfriþar ×
[Svei]nn ok Ulfr létu reisa ste[ina eptir brœðr sí]na. Þeir váru synir Arnar ok Ragnfríðar.
[Svæi]nn ok Ulfʀ letu ræisa stæ[ina æftiʀ brøðr si]na. Þæiʀ vaʀu syniʀ Arnaʀ ok Ragnfriðaʀ.
Sveinn and Ulfr had the stones raised in memory of their brothers. They were the sons of Ǫrn and Ragnfríðr.