Runic inscription:
 

Thorgils and Signjut erected the stone for Vig, their father.

Runecarver:

Ärnfast

Facts:

Size: 175 x 100 cm.
Fine-grained granite..

History

The runestone was used for a long time as a building material in the church's foundation and was only partially visible above ground.

In the mid-19th century it was taken out and moved to Drottningholm about 500 meters northwest of the castle.

In 1952 it was moved back to Lovö Church to the place where it stands today.

Ornamentation

U 47 has a well-planned ornamentation. Ärnfast has now become confident with his craft and perhaps a little too comfortable...

He lets the dragon's neck tuft transform into a snake, an artistic freedom he used on several of his runestones.

But even with good planning, things can go wrong...

The braided neck tassel (which became a snake) is carved a little wrong when "over, under" are mixed up. The extra small cutt marks, in front of the dragon's nose, must have ruined Ärnfast's mood for a whole day.

But as usual, the incorrect cutting marks were not painted when the runestone is finished, only the correct carving marks...

Unfortunately for Ärnfast, we're not as kind today.
We paint all the carving marks, even the incorrect ones...

although this time Ärnfast is a bit lucky anyway, Runverket (The Runic Department) forgot to paint the other incorrect carving mark. 

Links

Upplands runinskrifter > Page 62
(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