Incredible Runestones and where to find them
For many, including myself, Runestones have been these mysterious, legendary and mythological objects. Part real, part fairytale, these object almost belonged more in books and videogames, rather than in reality.
I remember my first run-in with a Runestone, an encounter that would leave me fascinated and that has led to my life-long passion for viking age and ancient Scandinavian history. Like most runestone encounters, this was completely incidental. While strolling down one of the streets in Stockholm's Old Town, Gamla Stan in Swedish, you may come across a beautiful Urnes style Runestone sticking out of the wall of the corner building.
At the time, more than 10 years ago, I had no idea why or how the stone got there, who made it or with what purpose. All I knew is that it was beautiful and Viking, it looked like something that jumped out of a fantasy novel, and that was enough.
As I began visiting Sweden on a more regular basis, I started going on Runestone Hunts: try to locate as many runestones in an area and mark them on Google maps before driving around the countryside in search of the illusive monuments. I came to learn that not all the runestones are treated the same way accross the country.
You will find some embedded into houses or churches, others erected in small groups on the sides of roads, or even in people's gardens. Some important or particular stones are placed in museums, and others yet get small wooden structures to protect then from the elements and provide some information about the history of the place.
But let's roll this back a bit and ask ourselves: what are Runestones anyway?
Well, as the name so obviously suggests, these are stones with runes on them. Most of the Runestones out there cluster around the years 800-1100, with the peak being around the end of the Viking age around the 1000's. The Runestone fashion swept Scandinavia like a blaze with only Sweden having as many as 1700 or 2590 runic inscriptions, depending how you count them. A far off runner-up is Denmark with 250 and Norway with 50 stones. Strangely, the fashion did not make it over to Iceland, which has no runestones to date.
While runestones are often portrayed as magical monoliths, carved with powerful symbols, in reality most runestones are quite straightforward. The vast majority of the rune inscriptions was made in memory of loved ones lost in battle, at sea or in military operations in distant lands. So we find stones in memory of father or brothers whi perished in the west, England or other Western lands there are stones commemorating vikings who died in Greece, more likely referring to Byzantium and the Varangians. Some plainly say they were lost at sea, while others were raised in memory of a good wife or sister. They were originally placed on sides of roads, near bridges or other landmarks where they could be seen. Although commonly seen in churchyards today, they were not used as grave markers.
Usually the runestone inscriptions follow a common formula, citing the names in whose memory the stone was erected, the ones who commissioned the stone and in many cases, the rune carver's name. An early form of copyright, if you will. However, some stones are more mysterious than others, featuring cryptic lettering or parts of obscure stories.
So, how do we find them?
There are few ways to take advantage of “the world's biggest open air art gallery”. First, of course, many rune stones have made their way to Sweden's main museums such as the Swedish History museum in Stockholm and other regional museums. The second, and more interesting way includes cross referencing coordinates from Google maps and from sites like Rundata or Runkartan.se and making your own Runestone Hunt maps.
Most important stones will have a little plaque next to them, explaining their historical period and offering a translation and transliteration of the text. That being said, prepare to awkwardly wander around churches, sneaking onto people's properties and generally looking like a strange person talking to stones. But this is Sweden, and you'll not be the strangest thing around.
Till next time, your friendly neighbourhood runestone geek.
