Stockholm university
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Sofia Pereswetoff-Morath

Research projects

AI in the service of runology

The project's main goal is to create an AI assistant that will find answer a user's questions with help of the Scandinavian Runic database.

Runstone with glowing grren runes. Made by Sofia Pereswetoff-Morath using AI.
Swedish Runestones for everyone

The projects aim is to make Swedish runestones accessible to the public by creating an application that shows which runestones are near the user. The user will receive reliable and up-to-date information on each stone's location, condition, reading, interpretation and dating.

Research

Publications

A selection from Stockholm University publication database

  • Corpus Editions of Runic Inscriptions from Eastern Europe and the Byzantine Empire

    2022. Sofia Pereswetoff-Morath. Futhark 12, 111-116

    Article

    The runic inscriptions from Eastern Europe lack a dedicated corpus edition, but here the best attempts to describe these inscriptions are discussed. Unfortu­nately, the main work in this field, Elena A. Mel′nikova’s Skandinavskie runičeskie nadpisi (‘Scandinavian runic inscriptions’), lacks a clear method for distin­guishing between runic, rune-like and non-runic inscriptions. For this reason, many of its inscriptions should be treated with great caution and some are here deemed not to be runic.

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  • En nytolkning av Birka-amuletten

    2021. Sofia Pereswetoff-Morath. Futhark 11, 85-118

    Article

    The aim of this paper is to provide a new reading and interpretation of the runic inscription on a silver capsule pendant from Birka which has been dated to the early Viking Age, 775–900 CE. It was found in a female grave and in the runological literature is conventionally known as the Birka amulet. The circum­stances of the find are first discussed in order to establish the exact location of the pendant in the grave. This is followed by a discussion of the possible identity of the woman in the grave and the possible location of the amulet on her body. As regards the function of the pendant, it has been determined that it was repurposed from another object in order to serve as a scent box and it was at that time that the runic inscription was carved on the reverse side. Earlier readings and interpretations are then discussed, followed by an analysis of the reading order of the inscription. A new reading based on three separate exami­nations with stereo microscope is subsequently suggested and illustrated with photo­graphs. To conclude, having established both reading order and reading, a new interpretation is suggested for the entire inscription.

    Read more about En nytolkning av Birka-amuletten

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