Viking Magazine - November 2020 - 16

Sweden
The city of Rök boasts an 8-foot-tall, fi vesided
stone with the world's lengthiest
runic etchings. Likely composed in the 9th
century by a grieving father, the majority
of the Rök Stone's 700-plus runes are
thought to make up a eulogy inscribed
to the man's deceased son. Earlier this
year, researchers began speculating that
the writings might also contain warnings
regarding a chain of volcanic eruptions
that were about to stir up a prolonged
stretch of extremely cold weather. There
was concern that the freeze would
obliterate crops, which would lead to
starvation and the population's eventual
extinction.
The Södermanland region of Sweden,
A map of Scandinavian runestones from 160 to 1070 AD.
The runestones were meant to be seen. They were positioned in hightraffi
c areas, and oftentimes the carved runes were fi lled in with brightly
colored paint so they could be more easily read.
Thanks to these etchings, scholars have been able to learn a great deal
about the Vikings, including where they traveled, what they achieved
and how they died.
LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED
Thousands of runestones have been uncovered in Scandinavia. About
250 from the Viking Age have been identifi ed in Denmark, and a
handful in Norway. Most are from Sweden, where more than 2,500
inscriptions reside. The Norwegian and Swedish monoliths have been
traced to the 4th and 5th centuries, but most in Sweden are from the
end of the Viking Age.
The majority of runestones in Denmark were erected between 975
and 1025. The tradition seems to have become popular following
Harald Bluetooth's raising of the sizable Jelling Stone in 970 to honor
his father, Gorm the Old, and his mother, Thyra. The practice continued
through the 11th century and faded in the 12th. (See sidebar on page 15
to learn more.)
It's hard to fathom, but runestones are still being discovered in today.
In 2018, a 1,000-year-old runestone was unearthed in Sweden when a
church's stone wall was being renovated. It's expected that even more
will be found all over Scandinavia as time wears on.
16 VIKING NOVEMBER 2020 sonsofnorway.com
located west of the capital of Stockholm,
is home to about 450 runic engravings.
One of the most well-known, the
Stenkvista runestone, sits close to the
Stenkvista church near Skogstorp. While
it is one of many that reference Thor
Odinson, this more-than-7-foot-tall
chunk of granite stands out because it
also depicts his hammer, Mjölnir. But
although it's dedicated to the Norse God
of Thunder, the runestone was created by
three sons to memorialize their father.
Created sometime around 1030 near
Ramsund, the Ramsund Carving* is one
of a group in eastern Sweden referred
to as the Sigurd Stones because of their
early depictions of scenes from Norse
mythology's legend of Sigurd. The link
between the dragon slayer and the person
being eulogized is uncertain, however, as
it was produced by an upper-class Viking,
Sigrod, to memorialize his wife, Sigribr.
Perhaps her similar-sounding name
led the husband to dream up a heroic
alliance.
*Some argue that the Ramsund Carving
is not technically a runestone but rather a
relief because its etchings were made on a
rocky outcrop and not a standing monolith.
MAP BY KARSTEN LAUST KRAMBS
PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT): LARS HALLSTROM / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, ALICUDI, DEA / G. DAGLI ORTI / GETTY IMAGES, MUSEUM OF CULTURAL HISTORY / UNIVERSITY OF OSLO, JANZIG / EUROPE / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

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Viking Magazine - November 2020

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