Spring 2000The quarry
and work on Adelsö
I'll carve a rune stone in memory of Leif Eriksson's
"exploration" of North America. The finished rune stone will
be erected on the northern Newfoundland.
I knew even then that it would become a memory for life so I
photographed and documented as much as it could.
Welcome to my tale of Leif Eriksson's rune stone.
When the spring came, I took myself to Vätö stonemasonry
outside Norrtälje which has a beautiful granite of high
quality. I am looking for a subject that is wild and
beautiful, which has its own form created by nature itself. |
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After several hours of searching is suddenly there, right
before our eyes.
The stone block looks good, but we can only see a small part
of it, the rest is buried under large rocks. |
Thorbjörns machine brings out the stone. It's perfect,
better than we hoped for. |
It has smooth surface, good size with personalized shape.
This is stone I was looking for and now it will be able to
start its journey to Canada. |
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and the work can begin |
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I begin by carving ornamentation edge.
Easy and safe cutting letting me know the stone. |
My tools |
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< Frode, my loyal support and best friend.
He keeps a watchful eye on the surroundings
from his sheepskin on the stone.
The first details carved
I start with the knot to keep sun compass in place.
To carve smooth and fine chopping tracks on a rough stone
surface is not always easy and the concentration required
for this can easily be at the expense of forgetting the
subject you are working with.
To succeed, I often get up and squint a little bit with my
eyes and just look for the subject to see if all the
"moving" in a natural way. That means I do not really look
at it I cut no more that I cut up.
The day the rune stone is finished and bodies filled with
color, any mistakes appear all too clearly. To afford the
patient and to think right now is something I do not have to
regret in the future. |
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The ornamentation is emerging and a
school class do visit |
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School class from Birkagården in Karlskoga come to
visit.
I show them how I work and tells about the ornamentation and
and the stone onward travel to Canada.
The ornamentation is half-sketched, still no dragon head and
no tail, even the sun compass is missing and of course all
the runes. |
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Visits by friends and Dragon gets
his head |
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| Visit of Tuja
and Börje |
Börje and his
jew's harp |
Dragon's head is
there |
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TV make one more reports |
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| A television
team makes a story |
which also aired
in around Sweden |
Frejan, a
perfect sidekick rests in the oak |
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Old and heavy oak with carved
details. |
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A three-ton oak with ornamentation has been shaped roots and
tarred.
Now is the time to set it up .. I might need a little help
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The oak is erect and stands nicely in the background of the
rune stone |
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The ornamentation is completed -
time for the runes |
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| A total of 110
runes should fit |
Soon, half of
the runes carved. |
More visitors |
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TV4 and visitors |
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Another
TV4 doing a story, this one close study |
carve runes from the end |
Telling that 55 of the 110 runes are carved |
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Midsummer - and only one rune left |
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Then will our Maypole erected |
and soon the food finished |
Gillet can begin |
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Midnight on Midsummer Eve - Time to cut the last rune, an
R |
in the word "Kalle Rista"
(Carve) |
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Time to paint the rune stone.
The result of many months of planning and work show up now. |
Frejan has built a special pallets for the runestone.
In the evening Tord lift it into place. |
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The box built directly on the pallet. |
June 30 - The rune stone loaded. |
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Bjorn gently lifts up the
rune stone at
ASA Transporter truck. |
This side up!
:-) |
Rune stones long journey has
begun.
Here leaves Adelsö island. |
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Thank´s for support! |
July 29, 2000
the date when the Leif Eriksson's rune stone to be erected
For a long time it looked like I would not be able to attend
the opening
ceremony and the raising of the rune stone in Canada. But
then one day,
someone calls from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Foreign
Ministry) ..
Next Page - My long travel throughout Newfoundland -
Take me there > |
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Start - Close-ups
of the completed rune stone |
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Adelsö -
Follow the work on Adelsö |
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Newfoundland -
690 mil across Newfoundland |
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L'Anse aux
Meadows - inauguration, ships and rune
stones etc. |
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