This article examines the mechanisms by which meaning is preserved and constrained in VikingAge runic inscriptions and contrasts this stability with interpretive vulnerabilities in certainmedieval Latin textual traditions. Drawing on a geographically controlled corpus of runestonesfrom Uppland—particularly the Vallentuna–Sigtuna–Orkesta region, including a concentratedmicro-corpus at Vallentuna Church—the study demonstrates that runic inscriptions maintainsemantic stability through visible structural segmentation, repeated formulaic clauses, explicitrelational markers, and network redundancy across inscriptions. By contrast, the phrasetraditionally interpreted as “Oligamus Stella, dux” is demonstrated to be a product of missegmentation within a structurally ambiguous Latin textual environment rather than evidence fora historical individual. The article proposes a comparative model in which semantic visibility andredundancy act as stabilizing forces in inscriptional systems, while their absence in manuscripttraditions creates conditions under which segmentation errors can generate persistent phantomidentities within the historical record. From Formula to Phantom: Structural Visibility, NetworkRedundancy, and the Mis- Segmentation of “Oligamus Stella, dux” .