Controversy
The inscriptions have led to a controversy on the meaning of the Old Norse verb eiga ("to own"), and to a debate on the origins on the hundred division. It is debated whether he really owned the hundred or if he was appointed as its chieftain (hersir) by the King of Sweden, and a final conclusion is probably impossible to arrive at.
Omeljan Pritsak has remarked that Jarlabanke's prominent position and property show that he and his clan profited from taking part in the Danegelds and from the services that men of his clan provided as mercenaries in the Varangian Guard and in Kievan Rus'.
Read more about this topic: Jarlabanke Runestones
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