Some runic stones. 23 



On the same page lie remarks : »The geneahjgical order on the 

 i\Ialstad stone is in the ascending line, but on the Sunnå stone it is 

 descending, contrary to the explanation of Arendt and others; so that 

 f>TTRMUNT (not FROMUNT, as Liljeoren says) is Brise's son and SUD- 

 BARIR is FROMUNT'S son, etc. In one word, FROMUND has here, 

 on this block to the memory of his father FIHIOLF, commemorated liis 

 uncle's stem in descending line» ^). 



I cainiot see that things were exactly so. We must remember 

 that the Malstad death-minne, as a Stem-roll, stands alone among all our 

 monuments. We have here a record of 11 generations, thus going back 

 some 300 to 400 winters, which undoubtedly presupposes not only that 

 the family was exceptionally careful in keeping up its ancestral tradi- 

 tions, but that it had all along written family archives, written RUNIC 

 annals, probably on wooden tablets. Now such a lordly house, anxious 

 that the names of its members (whetlier from father to son or from 

 heir to heir) should not die, would also wish that this list should be 

 rontinued. FRUMUND, when he transferred to the hard granite this re- 

 cord of the greatness and long duration of his line, would not have it 

 end with himself. He therefore cut a duplicate block, a second but 

 summary memorial, and desired his aftercomers to add their names 

 thereto. This was done for 4 generations more, and then, apparently — 

 for nothing is stable in this world, the greatest kingdoms, the most il- 

 lustrious dynasties of Governors Warriors or Sages, come to an end — 

 THE FAMILY DIED OUT. 



Should this be so, we get the following remarkable runic stem- 

 table of 15 generations, running — if we approximately hx the Malstad 

 nionoUth at about the year 1050 — from about 700 to 1150 after Christ: 



FAMILY-ROLL IN HELSINGLAND, SWEDEN. 



1. FITIl (= FINN) A SIU, 



(About A. D. 700.) 



2. LAN AH. 



.3. NU 1 I'KIM-BIUM. 



4. HUTHRÜN. 



') »Attledningen pa ]\Ialstad-stenen är i uppstigande led, men i nedstigande pâ 

 Sunnå-stenen, tvärtemot Arents och andras tydning; så att tUR^IUNT (ej FRO- 

 MUNT, som Liljegren säger) är BRISES son och SUDBARIR FROMUNTS o. s. v. 

 Med ett ord FROMUND har på minnesstenen efter fadern FIHIOLF upptecknat sin 

 farbroders ättlingar i nedstigande.» 



