Gästrikland Runic Inscription 14 or
Gs 14 is the
Rundata catalog number for a damaged sandstone runestone, which is 1.75 by 1.25 meters, that was discovered in the eastern wall near the entrance to the
nave of the church. Before the historic significance of runestones was understood, they were often re-used in the construction of bridges, walls, and buildings such as churches. The inscription is classified as being carved in
runestone style Pr1, which is also known as
Ringerike style. This is the classification for inscriptions with text bands that have attached serpent heads depicted as seen in profile, but with features that are not as stylized as those in
Urnes style. The partial runic text names the three sponsors of the memorial stone, Helgi and Ásulfr and Ásmundr, but the name of the deceased has been lost. The text does state that the deceased man, who was probably the father of the sponsors, was
bæztr smiða or the "best of smiths." This is the only surviving runestone that mentions that a person was a
blacksmith. Gästrikland is known to have been a center of ironmaking during the
Viking Age. In Gs 14, the runes
þiritu are transcribed below as
þir| |ritu to designate that a single r-rune was used this way in two consecutive words. The runemaster also transposed the first two runes in
ehlhi for the name Helgi.
Inscription Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters :
ehlhi ...- × osuhlfr × ok × osmuntr × þir| |ritu : s(t)in × efti(r) ... ...is-þ kyfti * sa(r) -... ...--str : smiþa × ok × ... Transcription into Old Norse :
Hælgi [ok] Asulfʀ ok Asmundr þæiʀ rettu stæin æftiʀ ... ... køpti(?). Saʀ [vaʀ(?)] [bæ]ztr(?) smiða ok ... Translation in English :Helgi and Ásulfr and Ásmundr, they erected the stone in memory of ... ... bought(?) He was(?) the best(?) of smiths and ... ==Gs 15==