Some of my handmade runestones

Why should I raise a runestone today, you perhaps ask yourself? Well, the reasons are still the same as they have been for 1600 years now. Runestones are memorials for something: persons, journeys, special occasions for your company or yourself life like examination days, marriage, birthdays and plenty of other reasons. A runestone is a good way to commemorate an important event or episode in your life. For a special celebration a runestone will surely be an unusual present to a dear friend, child, customer or supplier. It will definitely become a rare valuable and handsome keepsake. Every person is unique on the earth. No one can walk, talk and act exactly the way you do. So why don't you let the coming generations know about you? Years will come and go but you can be sure that runestones will remain.

Here you have the opportunity to both order your own runestone, with a personal inscription and design, and obtain a piece of art that is guaranteed unique.

To the right are some of the runestones I have made with their personal inscriptions, design and story about them. For more examples of my stones please click on Photos.

The inscription says: Hilte hugs the history. Friends hug her. Alf had these stone cut

These runestone was made for a woman who studied historical subject at one of Sweden´s universities.

The inscription says: Bo, a man who fulfils his dreams. Comrades had these runes cut

These runestone was made as a birthday present to a guy named Bo. Some of his friends had found the stone beside a road and thought it should fit as a runestone. So when Bo should celebrate his 40th birthday, his friends contact me and brought the stone home to me. There was a yearly big festival in Stockholm every August called Stockholm Water Festival. This particular year I was one of the participants of the festival and as I should talk about runestones and runes during the festival, the stone should fit well into what I'm was doing. The customer allowed me to use the stone and the photo shows me in a Viking suit beside the stone during the festival.

The inscription says: Anders had these stone cut to her mother Birgitta

These runestone is one of my favourite ones. A friend of mine ordered it to give to his mother. There was no birthday, celebration for her or any other red-letter day. Anders just gave her mother a present to show her how much he appreciates her. When did you last give your mother, father, husband or wife a present just like that?

This stone was done to a long going Swedish Radio Show as a memory for the party that were hold after the last show for the season.

Even a greater moment in your life than a weeding is when you get your first child. Johan was bewared of the legend which says that if you have an artifact with runes on it, it will bring you luck in life. So when he got his first kid he gave him a runestone just in case the legend should be true. You never know, do you? Read more about this legend

The inscription says: Thorsten and Silja had these stone cut for My and Johan

Here is another present. This particular stone was given as a wedding present. A wedding is one of the biggest moment in your life and to manifest this moment for My and Johan, Thorsten and Silja gave them this runestone. According to the legend it will bring you luck in life if you have an artefact with runes on it. Because of that, a runestone is very popular to give away as a wedding present. I can't promise you the legend is true, but are you willing to take the risk?

The inscription says: Torbjorn cut these runes for his good mother Ingrid. She is buried in Botkyrka. This will stand as a memorial of Ingrid as long as mankind will exist.

This is my own runestone and the one that started it all up. I began to cut the snake around the stone when I studied archaeology at the university of Stockholm. When the snake was done and it was time for me to begin with the runes I couldn't find out a good description for the stone. So for some years it was just a "half made runestone". Then my mother died and I suddenly knew what to "write" on the stone. After this first stone I have made a lot more runestones but these particular one of course means something special for me in several ways.

The inscription says: The stone we raised for Rune at Båven. Our chief who provided his men. Prepared the ship for his home of oarsmen. With feeling, wisdom and truth.

This stone is actually made of a piece of a parking house. The story behind it is quit fascinating. Some years ago there was a parking house in one of the suburbs to Stockholm. Many disliked the parking house, other disagreed and of course the architect behind it was one of them. When the architect should retire there was a decision to tear the parking house down. The pals of the architect knew he liked this parking house and they also knew that he liked Vikings and runestones. So what did they do? I think you already had guessed, they saved a little piece of one of the walls, brought it home to me (10 guys, it was heavy!!!) and I started to turn the wall to a runestone. So now he has a little piece of his parking house and an own runestone. Notice how dramatic the motif on the stone change when it is painted. It is much easier to see and there could be no doubt that the runestones originally were painted.

The inscriptions say: 1st prize Birkabollen 2003. Girls -93. 1st prize Birkabollen 2003. Girls -94. 1st prize Birkabollen 2003. Boys -93. 1st prize Birkabollen 2003. Boys -94.

These runestones were the first prizes in a football tournament arranged by Skå IK a football club in Ekerö closed to Stockholm.

The inscriptions say: Postgiro had these runes cut

Here is some of several runestones that the Swedish Postgiro bought. They should have the runestones as give away presents. Despite it's the same inscription of all of the runestone they ordered, the stones themselves and the design of the motives are different on all of them.

The inscriptions say: Kjell-Åke fifty year.We honour you with joy and love. Jenny And Ehsan raised the stone

Here is another birthday stone. Kjell-Åke's daughter ordered the runetone for her father. It is hard to find a more unique and personal birthday present, isn't it?