Öpir: The Person Who Made the Memorial

Direct evidence: many rune stones carry the carver’s own name, and Öpir’s is among the most often found.

Most people remembered on rune stones were named by the families who raised them. Öpir is different, because he cut his own name on some of the stones he made. He worked in Uppland, with some stones in Gästrikland and Södermanland, and the Swedish History Museums describe him as a well-known travelling rune carver. Wikipedia places him in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries, working in the refined Urnes style, often with a single serpent shaped like an 8. Behind a family’s grief or pride on a stone stood a skilled person who planned the design and cut the letters. His stones show that memorials were made by named specialists, though almost nothing else is known about his life.

What is recorded: his name on many stones, the region where they stand, the period, and a recognisable style. A signature is direct evidence that he made or planned that stone. A stylistic attribution is a scholar’s judgement, not a record.

What is not recorded: where he lived, whether he had a workshop, how he was paid, who taught him, or when he was born or died. The counts vary between sources, and the signed and attributed groups are not always kept apart. Whether two carvers shared his name is a question the sources raise and do not settle.