Runic inscription:

Saxi had the stone cut and

the bridge made in memory of … his mother.

Sveinn cut.
 

Runecarver:

Sven

The runestone U 48 at Lovö Church has similarities and both may have been created by the same rune carver.

Small details are important!

1. During the last painting, they forgot to paint in the ear's cut marks, which allows the head to be compared with both runestone U 48 at Lovö church and Öpir's U 36.

2. I wonder what Sven was thinking here, the extra piece at the front of the lower jaw can't be a nose flap... and a tooth also looks wrong?

3. Sven doesn't carve the dragon's eye. Of course, there's a big risk that something will break when the carving marks are so close together... but it's possible if you're careful. But Sven didn't want to take that risk.

... a bit unusual but the same thing is seen on both Öpir's U 36 and U 48.

4. Avoiding the problems of carving sharp details by hiding the ends against edges is also found on Öpir's U 36 and U 48.

So what do these have in common?

This small runestone U 45 and U 48 at Lovö church may both have been carved by Sven, I also see similarities in the shape of the runes.

Öpir may have been the one who inspired Sven and also "legitimized" that the eye does not have to be cut.

Next to this small runestone is the Swedish Archaeological Society's (Fornminnessällskapets) nice sign with detailed information.

Links

Upplands runinskrifter > Page 59
(Swedish only)

Runor >  Riksantikvarieämbetet
(National Antiquities Board, mostly Swedish)

Google map > Find the runestone

 

ALL RUNESTONES

Ekerö municipality

ADELSÖ >
has 5 known runestones

BIRKA >
has fragments from 9 known runestones

MUNSÖ >
has 3 or 4 known runestones

EKERÖ >
has 11 known runestones

FÄRINGSÖ >
has 27 known runestones

LOVÖ >
has 8 known runestones