"Halha · a snalt þenan" says the inscription on this spindle-whorl of stone. In classical Old Norse this sounds Helga á snáld þenna, meaning “Helga owns this spindle-whorl”. The word snáldr refers to the spindle-whorl, still known in some Norwegian dialects as “snåld”. The inscription is from the late Viking Age or early Middle Ages. The object was found in the 1950s by teacher Jon T. Uppstad under the old smokehouse at Uppstad farm in Valle, Norway. Spindle-whorls were a common tool in the spinning of thread. Several runic inscriptions are known on spindle-whorls from Scandinavia and elsewhere. In this manner people could mark the practical tools in their everyday life. Runic signum: N 582. C28808.