16 O. Save anu G. Stephens, 



seiits this sound of t by Gïl. In his edition of the Skåne-hiw, when 

 describing this runic codex (Lund 1859, 4to, p. VII), Prof. Schlyter says: 

 »As to the orthography there is nothing remarkable, save that, instead 

 of G or GH inside and at the end of words, it often uses H. This re- 

 sults from the ancient pronunciation of many words, which, instead of 

 the present G-sound, had an aspiration whose nearest representative in 

 writing was H. We have traces of this talk not only on runic stones 

 but also in ancient skinbooks written with our common letters, such as 

 the oldest codices of the Westgöta Law». That K (G) should get this 

 sound of H (GH) is a small thing, compared with endless other linguistic 

 phenomena, among others that H itself sometimes hardens into K and is 

 written K- I "^^^^ only mention one other instance, that the strong granite- 

 rock f), at the beginning of a word, has in many instances in certain di- 

 stricts drifted into H, while in others it has melted away altogether! 

 Inside and at the end of a word, things are worse still. 



In one word, as in the Skåne-law runics its ^ (H) stands, save 

 at the beginning of words, for GH, so I think has the ^^ (H) on these 

 Helsing stones, as copied by Carl Save, the power of GH, G. 



Before, in the absence of Sâve's, I add my own attempt to give 

 the meaning of this Malstad monolith, I would say a few words. 



FRUMÜNT, nominative, occurs once later on this stone written 

 out irithout any tiiuil -R. We are therefore not justified in doubling the 

 R at the beginning, so as to get the »correct» form FRUMUNTR. 



STAIN A t^INA, a little after, is a fuller and older shape of the 

 STIN hNA near the end. 



The great difficulty is the line SIULFIR UARl> UM LANTI Ï>ISU 

 RI ÜIHA. Not only is it hard to ^understand, but we cannot even guess 

 what this SIULFIR (or KIULFIR) has to do with the other persons 

 mentioned on the stone. 



As to SIULFIi?. Must we take it as an error on SAve's part for 

 HIULFIii? Prof. Bugge, who examined this monument in 1876, quotes 

 this word ') as ))KIULFIÄ = GYLFIR». On the contrary Save, in his 

 letter to me, took what he redd to be plainly SIULFIR as = SIU-ULFIR, 

 Icelandic S.E-ULFR. 



UM LANTI t>ISU RI UIHA I would divide as it stands. In 

 Save's note to me of 27 Dec. 1872, after explaining his discovery that 

 1 is S and ■'■ etc. H, he says that there are several things in this inscrip- 

 tion which he cannot master. Especially of this passus he observes: 



') »Kune-Iiulskiiften paa L'ingen i Forsa Kirke», p. 21. 



