Skalunda
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Skalunda is a village in Västergötland, Sweden. Skalunda was one of the eight royal estates of early medieval Västergötland (cf. Uppsala öd). Moreoever, the names of two homesteads, Lagmansgården and Lagmanstorp, in the neighbourhood show that the Geatish lawspeakers used to reside at Skalunda.
At the church, there are two runestones and to the west of the church there is a barrow which is the largest one in Västergötland. It measures 65 metres across and it is 7 metres high. Next to the barrow there is a stone circle. The barrow is so large that it compares to the large barrows in Uppland, which shows that Skalunda was important location during the Iron Age.
[edit] History
Birger Nerman, a Swedish archaeology professor and director of the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities, considered the barrow of Skalunda to be the most likely burial site of the hero Beowulf, a legendary Geatish king. Skalunda is not far from a place called Årnäs, which is the same name as Earnaness where the hero died in the epic Beowulf, and it is located on a major promontory and near a minor one.
The barrow has not yet been excavated.
[edit] References
- Burström, Mats: Skalunda hög, historier kring en hög. Mellan bronssköld och JAS-plan. Glimtar av Lidköpingsbygdens historia. 1996. Sid. 79-92.
- Ewald, Gustaf. (1950). Är Skalunda hög kung Beowulfs grav? Västgöta-Bygden nr 1, sid 335-336. (Om *Birger Nermans och °Carl Otto Fasts idéer angående hednatima kungars gravplats.)
- Flink, G.: Landet mellan Larva Bäsing och Skalundahögen. Arkeologi i Sverige 1982-83. 1986.
- Nerman, B. När kom Västergötland under svearnas välde? Västergötlands fornminnesförenings tidskrift 1956.
- The article Skalunda on the site of the Museum of Foteviken. Retrieved May 29, 2007.
- Svärdström, Elisabeth: Västergötlands runinskrifter. 1958-1970.
- Thorstensson, Gunnar: Skalundahögen. Västgötabygden, tidskrift för hembygdsarbete, natur- och kulturminnesvård. Västergötlands hembygdsförbund 1996. Sid 10-11.
