The Simris Runestones are two 11th-century runestones located at the vicarage of Simris, near Simrishamn, in southeasternmost Scania, Sweden. They were rediscovered in a church wall in 1716 during a restoration of the church. [1] [2] Although the territory was Danish at the time, they were made in the Swedish style of Uppland. One of the stones is notable in being one of the earliest native Scandinavian documents that mention Sweden.
This runestone is dated to the second half of the 11th century as it is carved in runestone style Pr4, which is also known as Urnes style, and includes a design using serpent with its head depicted as seen from the side. Based on stylistic, linguistic, and rune-selection grounds, it has long been considered to have been made by a Swedish runemaster. [3] It is made of sandstone and is 1.7 meters in height. This runestone was raised by Bjôrngeirr in memory of a brother called Hrafn ("Raven") who served a lord named Gunnulfr in Sweden. This runestone, together with the runestones Sö Fv1948;289 and DR 216, is one of the earliest native Scandinavian documents that mention Sweden.
This runestone is dated to the first half of the 11th century and it is runestone style Fp and features text within a serpent with its head depicted as seen from overhead. The stone is made of sandstone and is 1.5 meters in height. Similar to DR 344, the runic inscription has long been considered to have been carved by a Swedish runemaster. [3] It is believed to honor one of Canute the Great's warriors. [2] Canute was king in Denmark from 1018 to 1035. The two other names mentioned in the runic text, Sigreifr and Forkunnr, are personal names familiar in Sweden but not in Denmark during the Middle Ages, supporting the attribution of Swedish influence. [5]
The Funbo runestones constitute a group of four runestones originally from Funbo in the province of Uppland, Sweden, which were raised by members of the same family during the eleventh century.
Sønder Vissing I or DR 55 is a runestone located in the church of Sønder Vissing in eastern Jutland, Denmark. Sønder Vissing is a small settlement located in Horsens municipality approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Silkeborg, 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Skanderborg and 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of the Viking monuments of Jelling.
The England runestones are a group of about 30 runestones in Scandinavia which refer to Viking Age voyages to England. They constitute one of the largest groups of runestones that mention voyages to other countries, and they are comparable in number only to the approximately 30 Greece Runestones and the 26 Ingvar Runestones, of which the latter refer to a Viking expedition to the Caspian Sea region. They were engraved in Old Norse with the Younger Futhark.
The Viking runestones are runestones that mention Scandinavians who participated in Viking expeditions. This article treats the runestone that refer to people who took part in voyages abroad, in western Europe, and stones that mention men who were Viking warriors and/or died while travelling in the West. However, it is likely that all of them do not mention men who took part in pillaging. The inscriptions were all engraved in Old Norse with the Younger Futhark. The runestones are unevenly distributed in Scandinavia: Denmark has 250 runestones, Norway has 50 while Iceland has none. Sweden has as many as between 1,700 and 2,500 depending on definition. The Swedish district of Uppland has the highest concentration with as many as 1,196 inscriptions in stone, whereas Södermanland is second with 391.
The Lovö Runestones are five Viking Age memorial runestones outside the Lovö church on the island of Lovön in Lake Mälaren, which is in Stockholm County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Uppland.
Østermarie is a village on the Danish island of Bornholm, 8 km (5.0 mi) west of Svaneke. Founded ca. 1880, its old church, now a ruin, dates back to the 12th century. The population as of 1 January 2023 is 482.
The Dagstorp Runestone, designated as DR 325 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone that was discovered at Dagstorp, which is about two kilometers northwest of Kävlinge, Scania, Sweden.
The Lilla Vilunda runestones are three Viking Age memorial runestones that were erected by members of the same family and which are located at Lilla Vilunda in Upplands Väsby, Stockholm County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Uppland.
The Björklinge runestones are five Viking Age memorial runestones designated in the Rundata catalog as U 1045, U 1046, U 1047, U 1048, and U 1050 that are located at the church in Björklinge, Uppsala County, Sweden, which is in the historic province of Uppland. In addition, there is a small fragment of a runestone with a partial runic text i * lit * rita * meaning "had erected" that has been given the catalog number U 1049.
The Bjäresjö Runestones are three Viking Age memorial runestones originally located adjacent to Bjäresjö Church in Bjäresjö, which is about 3 kilometers northwest of Ystad, Skåne County, Sweden. Two of the stones were discovered near the church, and two of the stones have been moved to other nearby locations. Although these three stones are located in Sweden, they have been given Danish designations because Scania was part of the historic Denmark.
Danish Runic Inscription 48 or DR 48 is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone from Hanning, which is about 8 km north of Skjern, Denmark. The runic inscription features a depiction of a hammer, which some have interpreted as a representation of the Norse pagan god Thor, although this interpretation is controversial.
The Sövestad Runestones consist of a Viking Age image stone and memorial runestone found near Krageholm Castle, which is about two kilometers west of Sövestad, Skåne County, Sweden.
The Ålum Runestones are four Viking Age memorial runestones which are located at the church in Ålum, which is 9 km west of Randers, Denmark. One of the stones refers to a man with the title drengr and two of the other stones were raised by the same family.
The Aringsås Runestones are two runestones located at the Aringsås Church in Alvesta, Kronoberg County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Småland. A third runestone is believed to be hidden within a churchyard wall.
The Grällsta Runestone, listed as Västmanland Runic Inscription 27 or Vs 27 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone located in Grällsta, which is about nine kilometers northeast of Ransta, Västmanland County, Sweden, which was in the historic province of Västmanland. A second runestone that has been designated as Västmanland Runic Inscription 28 or Vs 28 was once located in Grällsta, but it is now considered to be lost.
The Bolsta Runestones are two Viking Age memorial runestones and two fragments of a third that are located in Bolsta, which is on the east edge of Uppsala, Uppsala County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Uppland. One runestone is signed by the runemaster with the normalized name of Åsmund Kåresson and the other by the runemaster named Öpir.
The Asferg Runestone, listed as DR 121 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone found at Asferg, which is about 10 km northeast of Randers, Aarhus County, Region Midtjylland, Denmark.
DR 110, or the Virring stone, is a runestone made of granite that measures 155 cm (61 in) in height, 120 cm (47 in) in width and 27 cm (11 in) in thickness. It is written in Old East Norse in the Younger Futhark, and the runestone style is in a form called RAK.
The Tvorup/Torup stone or DR 154 † was a Viking Age runestone engraved in Old Norse with the Younger Futhark runic alphabet, which has disappeared. According to Skonvig the stone would have been located just inside the door of church of Torup, having been moved there from a mound east of the church. The stone must have been lost while being transported to Copenhagen because nothing more is known about it. Skonvig reported that the stone was 2.5 Danish ells high and 1 ell wide. It was made by the same runemaster who made DR 155, and Lerche Nielsen (2010:244f) suggests that the two stones may actually be the same stone. The stone is dated to the period 970–1020, and the style of the runestone was the runestone style RAK.
The Fuglie stone 1 or DR 259 is a Viking Age runestone engraved in Old Norse with the Younger Futhark runic alphabet. It was first mentioned by Skonvig and it is still located in its original location on a Nordic Bronze Age mound next to the church of Fuglie, Skåne, Sweden. There are many local legends and traditions about the stone. The stone is 105 cm tall, 63 cm wide, and 33 cm thick. The stone is dated to the period 970–1020, and the style of the runestone was the runestone style RAK.