Groups
The dating of the stones is based on studies of their shapes and ornamentations. Subsequently, three distinct groups of stones exist with various aesthetics, locations and purposes.
AD 400–600
The first group of picture stones was made in the period 400–600. These have a straight form and the upper part is shaped like the edge of an axe. The ornamentations are usually circular forms with vortex patterns and spirals, but also with images of ships, people, and animals. These older stones were usually raised within grave fields, albeit not on the graves themselves. [3]
AD 700–1100
The third group was made in the period 700–1100 and they consist of tall stones with necks and tall bow-shaped profiles. [1] Their ornamentations present a rich array of pictures: ships with checkered sails and scenes with figures in different fields. [1] [2] The borders are often decorated with various plaited patterns. [1] Many scenes show sacrifices and battles, [3] and a common scene on the stones is a man, riding a horse, welcomed by a woman holding a drinking horn. [1] [2] What is seen are representations of a wealth of legends and myths. [1] Sometimes depictions from Norse mythology and Norse legends can be identified, but largely the stories behind them have not survived in written form.
The image stones are valuable sources which complete knowledge from archaeology concerning ships and sails, [2] and they provide information on armor, wagons, and sleighs. [3] The later stones in this group feature an upper field with stylized cross and dragon patterns in the style of some runestones. [1] These stones usually were raised on roads and at bridges to be visible. [3]
A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition of erecting runestones as a memorial to dead men began in the 4th century and lasted into the 12th century, but the majority of the extant runestones date from the late Viking Age. While most of these are located in Scandinavia, particularly Sweden, there are also scattered runestones in locations that were visited by Norsemen. Runestones were usually brightly coloured when erected, though this is no longer evident as the colour has worn off.
The Ardre image stones are a collection of ten rune and image stones, dated to the 8th to 11th centuries, that were discovered at Ardre Church, in Ardre, Gotland, Sweden. The principal edition is by Sune Lindqvist.
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.
Viking art, also known commonly as Norse art, is a term widely accepted for the art of Scandinavian Norsemen and Viking settlements further afield—particularly in the British Isles and Iceland—during the Viking Age of the 8th-11th centuries. Viking art has many design elements in common with Celtic, Germanic, the later Romanesque and Eastern European art, sharing many influences with each of these traditions.
Uppland Runic Inscription 613, also known as the Torsätra runestone, is the Rundata catalog number for a Viking Age memorial runestone originally located in Torsätra, which is approximately 8 kilometers northeast of Bro, Stockholm County, Sweden, which is in the historic province of Uppland.
The Stora Hammars image stones are four Viking Age image stones located in Stora Hammars, Lärbro parish, Gotland, Sweden dating from around the 7th century CE.
Fot was a runemaster who flourished in mid-11th century Sweden.
The Hunnestad Monument, listed as DR 282 through 286 in the Rundata catalog, was once located at Hunnestad at Marsvinsholm north-west of Ystad, Sweden. It was the largest and most famous of the Viking Age monuments in Scania, and in Denmark, only comparable to the Jelling stones. The monument was destroyed during the end of the 18th century by Eric Ruuth of Marsvinsholm, probably between 1782 and 1786 when the estate was undergoing sweeping modernization, though the monument survived long enough to be documented and depicted.
The Altuna Runestone (Altunastenen), listed as U 1161 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone with images from Norse mythology that is located in Altuna, Uppland, Sweden.
The Sigurd stones form a group of eight or nine Swedish runic inscriptions and one picture stone that depict imagery from the Germanic heroic legend of Sigurd the dragon slayer. They were made during the Viking Age and constitute the earliest Norse representations of the matter of the Völsung cycle that is the basis of the Middle High German Nibelungenlied and the Sigurd legends in the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, and the Völsunga saga.
The Tullstorp Runestone is a Viking Age memorial runestone, listed as DR 271 in the Rundata catalog, that is located in Tullstorp, which is about twenty kilometers east of Trelleborg, Skåne County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Scania.
The Tjängvide image stone, listed in Rundata as Gotland Runic Inscription 110 or G 110, is a Viking Age image stone from Tjängvide ,, from c. 700–900 CE, which is about three kilometers west of Ljugarn, Gotland, Sweden.
The Berezan' Runestone was discovered in 1905 by Ernst von Stern, professor at Odessa, on Berezan' Island where the Dnieper River meets the Black Sea. The runestone is 48 cm (19 in) wide, 47 cm (19 in) high and 12 cm (4.7 in) thick, and kept in the museum of Odesa. It was made by a Varangian (Viking) trader named Grani in memory of his business partner Karl. They were probably from Gotland, Sweden.
The Torsätra runestone, cataloged by Rundata as runic inscription U 614, is a Viking Age memorial runestone originally located in Torsätra, which is around 8 kilometers northeast of Bro, Stockholm County, Sweden, which is in the historic province of Uppland.
Stenkyrka is a populated area, a socken, on the Swedish island of Gotland. It comprises the same area as the administrative Stenkyrka District, established on 1 January 2016.
The Sønder Kirkeby Runestone, listed as runic inscription DR 220 in the Rundata catalog, is a Viking Age memorial runestone that was discovered in Sønder Kirkeby, which is located about 5 kilometers east of Nykøbing Falster, Denmark.
The Vidbo Runestones are two Viking Age memorial runestones that are located in the churchyard of the Vidbo church, which is about 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Knivsta, Uppsala County, Sweden, in the historic province of Uppland.
Uppland Runic Inscription 541 or U 541 is the Rundata catalog listing for a Viking Age memorial runestone which is located at the Husby-Sjuhundra church, which is five kilometers west of Norrtälje, Stockholm County, Sweden, and in the historic province of Uppland. The inscription is signed by the runemaster Öpir.
Tofta, also known as Gotlands Tofta, is a populated area, a socken, on the Swedish island of Gotland. It comprises the same area as the administrative Tofta District, established on 1 January 2016.
A runic carving is defined as a runic inscription in stone or other material, according to the definitions of the Swedish National Heritage Board. The term refers to both prehistoric and medieval runic carvings in raised stones or on blocks, on rock slabs, early medieval tombstones and "Eskilstuna coffins" with runes, runic carvings in materials other than stone, e.g. in plaster on churches, as well as historical and recent runic carvings. Viking Age runic carvings are often memorial inscriptions, usually after dead relatives. The runic inscription has usually been arranged in ribbons, which are often shaped like elongated animal bodies with head, feet and tail. The carving surface is often adorned with crosses and animal ornaments. Sometimes the runic carvings have also been decorated with more complicated image representations. Older, Old Norse, runic-carved stones usually lack ornamentation and have the text arranged in horizontal or vertical rows. Early medieval tombstones and "Eskilstuna coffins" with runes are given the property value "in grave context". Early medieval tombstones and Eskilstuna coffins without runes are registered under the relic type gravvård.
