The Noleby Runestone was dated by
Sophus Bugge to about 600 AD, and cannot be dated any younger than about 450 AD due to its language and rune forms. It is notable because of its inscription
runo [...] raginakundo which means "runes of divine origin" and which also appears in the later
Sparlösa Runestone and the eddic poem
Hávamál. This is of importance for the study of
Norse mythology since it indicates that the expressions and the contents of the
Poetic Edda are indeed of pre-historic Scandinavian origin. The runic inscription consists of three lines of text between bands, with the second line considered untranslatable and often listed as being a "meaningless formula". The name Hakoþuz in the last line of the inscription is believed to mean "crooked one", although other interpretations have been suggested. The Noleby Runestone is now located in the
Swedish Museum of National Antiquities in
Stockholm. ==Inscription==