c. 1045 – 1075

Characterisation of the style

As defined by Anne-Sofie Gräslund

Overall impression

Firmly rounded with moderately sweeping lines, neither too thick and unresilliant nor too sweeping.

Head

Characterised by a convex line from ear to nose tip.

Eye

Almond-shaped, not too large in proportion to the head.

Ear

Low set, rounded and slightly bent backwards.

Mouth

Normally open. The lower lip, usually smaller than in Pr 2, slightly bent downwards. The lip lappet forms an S-line, starting at the somewhat turned-up nose tip. There is a balance between the curve of the ear and that of the nose.

Feet

Occur sometimes, rounded with two toes on relatively short legs.

Tail

Rolled up, often with a thickened end and a thumb-like protuberance downwards.

Additional snakes

Occur.

Layout

One (sometimes two) rune animal(s) along the edge, without or occasionally with over-crossing and in exceptional cases, there is a figure-of-eight loop.

Union Knot

Very frequent.

Cross

Frequent, although not to the same degree as in Pr 1 and Pr 2.

Examples

Sources

Danske Runeindskrifter, http://runer.ku.dk

Gräslund, Anne-Sofie, 2006. ‘Dating the Swedish Viking-Age rune stones on stylistic grounds’. Runes and their Secrets – Studies in runology.

The Scandinavian Runic-text Data Base.

Sveriges runinskrifter.