This study aims to inquire into the pre-historic cult and the power structures in the folkland Värend, a region in present days Kronoberg County in Småland Sweden. The district Hovshaga is located at the northern outskirts of Växjö, the provincial capital. According to linguistic- and place name studies (toponymy) “hof” implies an Iron Age central place with a high probability of ritual cult presence.   The toponymy of this district serve as the outset of this inquiry, using archeological records and reports on Värend as my empiric material coupled with prehistoric place-name studies and studies of hierarchies, Norse mythology, phenomenology and a little bit of sociology I hope to make some of the social dynamics of Värend become visible.

<p>Abstract</p><p>The aim of this study is to describe similarities and differences in the inscriptions of runestones in</p><p>today's county of Kronoberg, the former county of Värend and, in addition, a part of the former</p><p>county of Sunnerbo. The study is based on 27 remaining runestones which are analysed through</p><p>choice of words and runes, orthography and decorations.</p><p>The section of choice of words and runes are categorised and based on the choice of choosing</p><p>one particular word over another and of choosing one particular rune over another. Orthography is</p><p>based on the spelling of five particular words; efter, sten, reste, hjälpe and och. Monophtongisation</p><p>is discussed and analysed. The section of decorations has two subsections; 1) crucifixes and</p><p>”suns”, and 2) other forms of decoration.</p><p>The study showed that the runestones had some significant numbers of similarities and</p><p>differences. The study also showed that the option of choosing one word, or rune, over another was</p><p>probably a conscious choice made by the runic inscriber himself. The spelling of the five words</p><p>revealed a limited number of spelling choices, and that monophtongisation had occurred in some</p><p>words. The majority of the runestones had some form of decoration, usually a crucifix, which were</p><p>categorised. However, attribution could only be made in a few cases, due to the limited amount of</p><p>criteria used.</p><p>Keywords: crucifixes, decorations, Kronoberg, monophtongisation, runes, runestones, Sunnerbo,</p><p>Värend</p>

Abstract The aim of this study is to describe similarities and differences in the inscriptions of runestones in today's county of Kronoberg, the former county of Värend and, in addition, a part of the former county of Sunnerbo. The study is based on 27 remaining runestones which are analysed through choice of words and runes, orthography and decorations. The section of choice of words and runes are categorised and based on the choice of choosing one particular word over another and of choosing one particular rune over another. Orthography is based on the spelling of five particular words; efter, sten, reste, hjälpe and och. Monophtongisation is discussed and analysed. The section of decorations has two subsections; 1) crucifixes and ”suns”, and 2) other forms of decoration. The study showed that the runestones had some significant numbers of similarities and differences. The study also showed that the option of choosing one word, or rune, over another was probably a conscious choice made by the runic inscriber himself. The spelling of the five words revealed a limited number of spelling choices, and that monophtongisation had occurred in some words. The majority of the runestones had some form of decoration, usually a crucifix, which were categorised. However, attribution could only be made in a few cases, due to the limited amount of criteria used. Keywords: crucifixes, decorations, Kronoberg, monophtongisation, runes, runestones, Sunnerbo, Värend

Abstract Gravfält och byar - En komparativ undersökning av sex gravfält från Värend. Gravefields and villages - A comparative analysis of sex gravefields from Värend. Abstract   The basis that this study stands on, is that iron age-gravfields represents nearby village communities. The purpose of this study was to investigate if six gravefields within the old folkland Värend represent different villages, or does the six representative gravefield-villages only show dissimilarity in social differences that occurred within the villages?   A comparative method analysis was used in this study, to help examine comparisons of the different grave types within the gravefields and the social phenomena that they reflect. To help the method further, old maps of the gravefields were used and field observations were made, to get a better picture in how the different grave types were placed and arranged within the gravefields and landscape.   The results show that these six gravefields probably represents their own nearby villages, and many of the graves that occur within the different gravefields, are alike to each other, which show that these supposed representative gravefield-villages had similar grave traditions. / Sammanfattning Uppsatsens syfte är att undersöka sex gravfält från det gamla folklandet Värend, varav de sex gravfälten ligger idag inom Växjö kommun. Gravfälten som undersöktes var Lilla Fjäll-gravfältet (Växjö RAÄ 111:1), Ingelstad-gravfältet (Östra Torsås RAÄ 1:1), Telestad-gravfältet (Växjö RAÄ 12:1), Skir-gravfältet (Växjö RAÄ 19–20:1), Orraryd-gravfältet (Nöbbele RAÄ 3:1) och Västenhaga-gravfältet (Bergunda RAÄ 25:1). Denna studie fokuserade sig på att undersöka de olika gravtyper som förekommer inom de sex gravfälten. Detta gjordes för att kunna hitta spår av hur de olika gravfältens representativa by-samhällena kan ha återspeglats. Detta gjordes genom att identifiera skillnader mellan respektive gravfält och därefter diskutera vad skillnaderna kan representera. Jag ville veta om det handlar om olikheter mellan sex skilda byar som begravt sina döda eller beror olikheten på sociala skillnader inom byarna? Resultatet visade på att det förekommer ett varierande och komplext gravstruktur där vissa av gravarna kan ha representerat olika gårdar inom byarna, medan vissa av gravarna representerades som högstatusgravar och religiösa/rituella gravar. De olika gravfälten visade även på att de representerade egna närbelägna byar.

Denna uppsats behandlar frågan kring en eventuell förekomst av centralplatser eller centralplatsområden under järnåldern (ca 500 f.Kr. - 1050 e.Kr.) i det som idag är Småland. Utgångspunkten är tidigare forskning inom området järnålderns centralplatser, främst i Sydskandinavien, samt några av de centralplatsindikerande förklaringsmodeller, främst då Charlotte Fabech och Jytte Ringtved (1995) som bedöms applicerbara i föreliggande studie om Smålands järnålder. Sammantaget bedöms det sammantagna källmaterialet från järnåldern, med tyngdpunkt på ett flertal centralplatsindikerande fyndkategorier, så som prakt- ädelmetall- och vapenfynd, samt förekomst av olika typer av hantverksfynd, produktionsverksamhet och metallbearbetning, främst järnhantering. Därutöver läggs särskild vid de under järnåldern föreliggande resursmässiga och kommunikativa förutsättningarna. Vidare undersöks ortnamnsaspekten som en möjlig centralplatsindikerande faktor. Också huruvida man genom att utgå från den medeltida häradsindelningen kan underlätta en centralområdesidentifiering, utforskas inom ramen för detta uppsatsarbete. / This study deals with the question whether there are any archeaological traces or evidence of central places or central areas in the Swedish province of Småland dating back to the Iron Age (circa 500 B.C - 1050 AD). The basis of this study is primarily the arceological data consisting of different arcehological remains such as traces of settlement and habitation, graves and grave finds and iron making. Additionaly the presence of central place- indicating place names are considered.