The runestone work for Vikingaliv museum in Stockholm, Sweden

2017 - Vikingaliv
a runestone to Vikingaliv museum on Djurgården in Stockholm

A runestone to a museum about the Vikings requires something extra.
The ornamentation becomes a kind of collage with inspiration from both Uppland and Sörmland and with a dramatic motivation in the center. The runic inscription is chosen and designed by Vikingaliv to remind us of our time and our thoughts both now and for several thousand years in the future.

The Runestone diary

A few hours after the pick-up at Adelsö, the 6-tonne heavy stone is released in front of Viking life. Carefully we make sure that the front of the runestone is not displayed. On Saturday in five days (2 September 2017) there will be opening and unveiling.

Very early in the morning, the crane car arrives at Adelsö and pick up Vikingaliv´s runestone.

2017-08-10 - Video clip!

Today I carve the last rune of Vikingaliv's runestone. Next step is to color my work and then transport it to Djurgården in Stockholm and raise it up in front of the museum. At the inauguration September 2nd, I will be there and carve something extra on the side of the rune stone.

2017-07-25 - Video clip!

Watch video on the runestone when more than half of the runes are done.

2017-07-17 - Runes

The first word in the long runic inscription is "Vikingaliv" (Viking life)

"Vikingaliv lät resa denna st..." (Vikingaliv let raise this st...)

2017-07-05 - All ornamentation are carved

All ornamentation are carved and in the center there is a motive with two people dangling in the dragons' claws. The motif is taken from an old runestone in Uppland, runestone U 629.
I chose to copy this detail to partly get answers to what the motif represents and partly to give Vikingaliv a historical link. The people in the dragon's claws may well be part of a saga, a saga we either forgot or as a modified form. Now that the motif appears in front of Vikingaliv's museum, someone might be able to recognize the story and give us an explanation of what the subject represents.

2017-06-24

All ornaments are painted and most are carved. The big snake in the center bends around the face like a portal. On both sides there are dragons with their arms stretched the center and holding something with their claws ...

Now there are two snakes painted under the beard. Picture 1 shows the head of the painted snake head, picture 2 when the eyes are ready and picture 3 shows the finished result with Unpainted carvings in backlight image.

2017-06-13

Sunset. The head of the big snake is chopped but not the tails. The four arrows show what I have to do next time.

The great dragon's shoulder, face and small dragon's head is carved. The surface on the right side is a bit uneven and harder to cut. Compare the stone's surface between the first and last images.

2017-06-16

Now all four tails are carved and painted. What you see in the picture is the middle of the runestone, at the bottom. It is the glossy snake's tail that comes down and finishes to the far right of the picture.

2017-06-04 - Video clip!

This video shows new details and unclear carving tracks.

2017-05-20

The big dragon's head and face are best seen in the evening sun as shades form the carving. It is now that I decide to paint the carving as the work is going on so you can see what's happening.

2017-04-29 - Introduction video in Swedish.

GRIMFROST created a video in English, see it on their Facebook page here>

2016-04-12 - Runestone substance are found

A good rune substance is not any stone, it shall have the right shape, the right surface and be of the right granite, it will lack the element of iron and be fine. After a long time, the subject is found in Jehanders grustäckt Löten on Munsö, Ekerö.

Close up on the stone surface, cleaned and still wet. A granite with fine grains and weighing more than 6 tons.

2016-04-05 - Meeting on Vikingaliv

First meeting of future Vikingaliv and we discuss and plan the runestone. I have a portable copy of the runestone Sö Fv 1948; 289 from Aspa bridge in Sörmland with me, which served as the test stone in front of the future entrance. We find that the height is good but that it could be a bit bigger.