Raka eller böjda ben? : om variation bland älgarna på Nämforsens hällristningar

Abstract

The paper analyses variation among the elks depicted in rock carvings at Namforsen, Angermanland, northern Sweden. A central difference among the elks is found in the angle of their legs. Some elks have legs in the shape of vertical lines while others have flexed knees. The straight-legged type is more common but rarely executed in the surface-pecked technique. Only about twelve of the elks combine both qualities. There is also an interesting pattern in the elks' relationship to humans. Of the elks within 1 metre's radius of a human figure, 93% have straight legs. Contour-pecked elks are similar to footprint carvings. The interpretation offered is that the elk motif was a key symbol that expressed the classifications central to society. One of these classifications was, it is suggested, the distinction between the static and the mobile.

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