The stone was probably carved in the early 9th century,[3] judging from the main runic alphabet used ("short-twig" runes) and the form of the language.

It also makes a historical reference to Ostrogothic king (effectively emperor of the western Roman empire) Theodoric the Great.

The inscription is intentionally challenging to read, using kennings in the manner of Old Norse skaldic poetry, and demonstrating the carver's command of different alphabets and writing styles (including code).

Ciphers are within brackets, with the resolution following the equals sign: ᛆᚠᛏᚢᛆᛘᚢᚦᛌᛏᚭᚿᛏᛆᚱᚢᚿᛆᛧᚦᛆᛧ ᛭ ¶ ᚿᚢᛆᚱᛁᚿᚠᛆᚦᛁᚠᛆᚦᛁᛧᛆᚠᛐᚠᛆᛁᚴᛁᚭᚿᛌᚢᚿᚢ ¶ ᛌᛆᚴᚢᛘᚢᚴᛘᛁᚿᛁᚦᛆᛐᚽᚢᛆᚱᛁᛆᛧᚢᛆᛚᚱᛆᚢᛓᛆᛧᚢᛆᛧᛁᚿᛐᚢᛆᛧ ¶ ᚦᛆᛧᛌᚢᛆᚦᛐᚢᛆᛚᚠᛌᛁᚿᚢᛘᚢᛆᛧᛁᚿᚢᛘᚿᛆᛧᛐᚢᛆᛚᚱᛆᚢᛓᚢ ¶ ᛓᛆᚦᛆᛧᛌᚭᛘᚭᚿᚭᚢᛘᛁᛌᚢᛘᚭᚿᚢᛘ ᛫ ᚦᛆᛐᛌᛆᚴᚢᛘᚭᚿᛆ ¶ ᚱᛐᚽᚢᛆᛧᚠᚢᚱᚿᛁᚢᛆᛚᛐᚢᛘᚭᚿᚢᚱᚦᛁᚠᛁᛆᚱᚢ ¶ ᛘᛁᛧᚽᚱᛆᛁᚦᚴᚢᛐᚢᛘᛆᚢᚴᛐᚢ ¶ ᛘᛁᛧᚭᚿᚢᛓᛌᛆᚴᛆᛧ ¶ ᚱᛆᛁᚦᛁᛆᚢᚱᛁᚴᛧᚽᛁᚿᚦᚢᚱᛘᚢᚦᛁᛌᛐᛁᛚᛁᛧ ¶ ᚠᛚᚢᛐᚿᛆᛌᛐᚱᚭᚿᛐᚢᚽᚱᛆᛁᚦᛘᛆᚱᛆᛧᛌᛁᛐᛁᛧᚿᚢᚴᛆᚱᚢᛧᚭ ¶ ᚴᚢᛐᛆᛌᛁᚿᚢᛘᛌᚴᛁᛆᛚᛐᛁᚢᛓᚠᛆᛐᛚᛆᚦᛧᛌᚴᛆᛐᛁᛘᛆᚱᛁᚴᛆ ¶ ᚦᛆᛐᛌᛆᚴᚢᛘᛐᚢᛆᛚᚠᛐᛆᚽᚢᛆᚱᚽᛁᛌᛐᛧᛌᛁᚴᚢ ¶ ᚿᛆᛧᛁᛐᚢᛁᛐᚢᚭᚴᛁᚭᚿᚴᚢᚿᚢᚴᛆᛧᛐᚢᛆᛁᛧᛐᛁᚴᛁᛧᛌᚢᛆ ¶ ᚦᚭᛚᛁᚴᛁᛆ ᛭ ᚦᛆᛐᛌᛆᚴᚢᛘᚦᚱᛁᛐᛆᚢᚿᛐᛆᚽᚢᛆᚱᛁᛧᛐ ¶ ᚢᛆᛁᛧᛐᛁᚴᛁᛧᚴᚢᚿᚢᚴᛆᛧᛌᛆᛐᛁᚿᛐᛌᛁᚢᛚᚢᚿᛐᛁᚠᛁᛆ ¶ ᚴᚢᚱᛆᚢᛁᚿᛐᚢᚱᛆᛐᚠᛁᛆᚴᚢᚱᚢᛘᚿᛆᛓᚿᚢᛘᛓᚢᚱᚿ ¶ ᛧᚠᛁᛆᚴᚢᚱᚢᛘᛓᚱᚢᚦᚱᚢᛘ ᛭ ᚢᛆᛚᚴᛆᛧᚠᛁᛘᚱᛆ=ᚦᚢᛚᚠᛌᚢ ¶ ᚿᛁᛧᚽᚱᛆᛁᚦᚢᛚᚠᛆᛧᚠᛁᛘᚱᚢᚴᚢᛚᚠᛌᚢᚿᛁᛧᚽᚭᛁᛌᛚᛆᛧᚠᛁᛘᚽᛆᚱᚢᚦ ¶ ᛌᛌᚢᚿᛁᛧᚴᚢᚿᛘᚢᚿᛐᛆᛧᚠᛁᛘ(ᛓ)ᛁᚱᚿᛆᛧᛌᚢᚿᛁᛧ ¶ ᚿᚢᚴᛘ---(ᛘ)-- ᛆᛚᚢ --(ᚴ)(ᛁ)ᛆᛁᚿᚽᚢᛆᛧ-ᚦ... ...ᚦ... × ᚠᛐᛁᛧᚠᚱᛆ ¶ ᛋᛃᚷᚹᛗᛟᚷᛗᛖᚿᛇ[3:3 = ᚦ]ᛃᛞᚺᛟᛃᛦᛇᚷᛟᛚᛞ ¶ ᚷᛃᛟᛃᛦᛇᚷᛟᛚᛞᛁᚿᛞᚷᛟᚭᚿᛃᛦᚺᛟᛋᛚᛇ ¶ [ᛆᛁᚱᚠᛓᚠᚱᛓᚿᚽᚿᚠᛁᚿᛓᛆᚿᛐᚠᚭᚿᚽᚿᚢ = ᛌᛆᚴᚢᛙᚢᚴᛙᛁᚿᛁᚢᛆᛁᛙᛌᛁᛓᚢᚱᛁᚿᛁᚦ] ¶ ᛧᛐᚱᚭᚴᛁᚢᛁᛚᛁᚿᛁᛌᚦᛆᛐ ᛭ [ᚱᚽᚠᚦᚱᚽᛁᛌ = ᚴᚿᚢᚭᚴᚾᛆᛐ] ¶ ᛁᛆᛐᚢᚿᚢᛁᛚᛁᚿᛁᛌᚦᛆᛐ ᛭ [2:2 = ᚿ] [2:3 = ᛁ] [1:1 = ᛐ] ¶ [3:2 = ᚢ] [1:4 = ᛚ] ¶ [2:2 = ᚿ] [2:3 = ᛁ] ¶ [3:5 = ᚱ] [3:2 = ᚢ]ᚦᛧ ¶ [2:5 = ᛌ] [2:3 = ᛁ]ᛓᛁ ¶ [3:2 = ᚢ] [2:3 = ᛁ]ᛆ ¶ [3:2 = ᚢ] [2:4 = ᛆ]ᚱᛁ ¶

([2:5 = ᛌ]) [2:4 = ᛆ] [3:6 = ᚴ] [3:2 = ᚢ] [1:3 = ᛙ] [3:2 = ᚢ] [3:6 = ᚴ] [1:3 = ᛙ] [2:3 = ᛁ] [2:2 = ᚿ] [2:3 = ᛁ] ¶ [3:3 = ᚦ] [3:2 = ᚢ] [3:5 = ᚱ]This is a transliteration of the runes, with ciphers resolved and spaces added between word boundaries: aft uamuþ stąnta runaʀ þaʀ ᛭ ¶ n uarin faþi faþiʀ aft faikiąn sunu ¶ sakum| |mukmini þat huariaʀ ualraubaʀ uaʀin tuaʀ ¶ þaʀ suaþ tualf sinum uaʀin| |numnaʀ t ualraubu ¶ baþaʀ sąmąn ą umisum| |mąnum · þat sakum ąna¶rt huaʀ fur niu altum ąn urþi fiaru ¶ miʀ hraiþkutum auk tu ¶ miʀ ąn ub sakaʀ ¶ raiþ| |þiaurikʀ hin þurmuþi stiliʀ ¶ flutna strąntu hraiþmaraʀ sitiʀ nu karuʀ ą ¶ kuta sinum skialti ub fatlaþʀ skati marika ¶ þat sakum tualfta huar histʀ si ku¶naʀ itu| |uituąki ąn kunukaʀ tuaiʀ tikiʀ sua¶þ ą likia ᛭ þat sakum þritaunta huariʀ t¶uaiʀ tikiʀ kunukaʀ satin t siulunti fia¶kura uintur at fiakurum nabnum burn¶ʀ fiakurum bruþrum ᛭ ualkaʀ fim ra=þulfs| |su¶niʀ hraiþulfaʀ fim rukulfs| |suniʀ hąislaʀ fim haruþ¶s suniʀ kunmuntaʀ fim (b)irnaʀ suniʀ ¶ ᛭ nuk m--- [m]-- alu --[k][i] ainhuaʀ -þ... ...þ ... ftiʀ fra ¶ sᴀgwm| |mogmenï (þ)ᴀd hoᴀʀ igold¶gᴀ oᴀʀï goldin d goąnᴀʀ hoslï ¶ sakum| |mukmini uaim si burin| |niþ¶ʀ trąki uilin is þat ᛭ knuą knat¶i| |iatun uilin is þat ᛭ (n)(i)(t) ¶ ul ¶ ni¶ruþʀ ¶ sibi ¶ uia¶uari ¶ [s]akum| |mukmini ¶ þurThis is a transcription of the runes in early 9th century Old East Norse (Swedish and Danish) dialect of Old Norse.

Þat sagum ąnnart, hwaʀ for nīu aldum ą̄n urði fiaru meðr Hræiðgutum, auk dō meðr/dœmiʀ hann/enn umb sakaʀ.

Sitiʀ nū garwʀ ą̄ guta sīnum, skialdi umb fatlaðʀ, skati Mǣringa.

Þat sagum twalfta, hwar hæstʀ sē Gunnaʀ etu wēttwąngi ą̄, kunungaʀ twæiʀ tigiʀ swāð ą̄ liggia.

Þat sǫgum annat, hverr fyrir níu ǫldum án yrði fjǫr með Hreiðgotum, auk dó meðr/dœmir hann/enn of sakar.

Sitr nú gǫrr á gota sínum, skildi of fatlaðr, skati Mæringa.

Apart from Theodoric, Gunnr and the Norse god Thor, the people and mythological creatures mentioned are unknown.

The part about Theodoric (who died in 526 A.D.) probably concerns the statue of him sitting on his horse in Ravenna, which was moved in 801 A.D. to Aachen by Charlemagne.

[5] This statue was very famous and portrayed Theodoric with his shield hanging across his left shoulder, and his lance extended in his right hand.

[citation needed] According to the old English Deor poem from the 10th century, Theodoric ruled the "castle of the Mærings" (Ravenna) for thirty years.

The Sjólund is similar to the name given to Roslagen by Snorri Sturluson but it has often been interpreted as Sjælland where the Iron Age Lejre Kingdom lay, (nowadays a part of Denmark).

It has been assumed that this is intentional, and that the rows following this point concern legends connected specifically to Varinn and his tribe.

In the last line, the carver invokes the god Thor and then he says that Sibbi "of the shrine" begot a son at the age of ninety.

Since Thor is evoked before telling about Sibbi's connection with the sanctuary and his potency at old age, it may be a recommendation that being a devout worshipper is beneficial.

As Lars Lönnroth and, after him, Joseph Harris have argued, the form is very similar to the so-called "greppaminni", a sort of poetic riddle game presented by Snorri Sturluson in his Prose Edda.