Västergötland Runic Inscription 113

Västergötland Runic Inscription 113 or Vg 113 is the Rundata listing for a runestone located in Lärkegapet, which is about one-half kilometer east of Grästorp.

Description
The inscription, which is on a gneiss stone that is 2.5 meters in height, consists of two vertical bands of runic text with the sides of the runic bands forming the handle of a hammer, which is considered to be a depiction of Þórr's hammer Mjǫllnir. Because of the length of the text bands, the hammer has a long shaft with the head located at the top of the stone. Þórr's hammer was used on several memorial runestones in Sweden and Denmark, perhaps as a parallel to or a pagan reaction to the use of the cross by Christians. Other surviving runestones or inscriptions depicting Thor's hammer include runestones U 1161 in Altuna, Sö 86 in Åby, Sö 111 in Stenkvista, Öl 1 in Karlevi, DR 26 in Laeborg, DR 48 in Hanning, DR 120 in Spentrup, and DR 331 in Gårdstånga. The inscription is classified as being carved in runestone style RAK, which is the classification for inscriptions where the ends of the runic band do not have any attached serpent or beast heads.

The runic text states that the stone was raised as a memorial to his kinsman Bjôrn and describes the deceased man as being "a very good thegn." The term thegn was used in the late Viking Age in Sweden and Denmark to describe a class of retainer. About fifty memorial runestones described the deceased as being a thegn. Of these, the runic text on sixteen other runestones use the same Old Norse phrase harða goðan þegn, Vg 59 in Norra Härene, Vg 62 in Ballstorp, Vg 102 in Håle gamla, Vg 115 in Stora Västölet, Vg 151 in Eggvena, Vg NOR1997;27 in Hols, DR 86 in Langå, DR 106 in Ørum, DR 115 in Randers, DR 121 in Asferg, DR 123 in Glenstrup, DR 130 in Giver, DR 213 in Skovlænge, DR 278 in Västra Nöbbelöv, DR 294 in Baldringe, and DR 343 in Östra Herrestads. In addition, four inscriptions use a different word order, þegn harða goðan, include Vg 74 in Skolgården, Vg 152 in Håkansgården, Vg 157 in Storegården, and Vg 158 in Fänneslunda. The name of the sponsor, Dagr, which is an Old Norse word which means "day," also appears on Vg 101 in Bragnum and Ög 43 in Ingelstad, which uses an ideogram for the name, and is the personification of day in Norse mythology.

Transliteration of the runes into Latin characters

 * takh : risþi : stn : þaisi : ʀfti : burn : frita : harþa : kuþih : þikn :

Transcription into Old Norse

 * Dagʀ ræisti stæin þannsi æftiʀ Biorn frænda, harða goðan þegn.

Translation in English

 * Dagr raised this stone in memory of Bjôrn, (his) kinsman, a very good Þegn.