↟ To know your ancestors is to know yourself ↟

Rökstenen – Ög 136, is a majestic rune stone located in Östergötland, Sweden. It’s one of the most famous ones, impressively containing over 760 runes carved on both sides. According to older investigations, it was erected in 800 AD.

There are many different theories about the meaning of the rune stone, which is constantly changing due to new researches. But what we know is that it was carved and erected by a man named Varin, as a memorial to his dead son Vämod. Not much is known about these two men, but if Varin was the one who erected the stone, then he was a very skilled and experienced man, as he mastered both the older -and younger futhark. He really succeeded in turning the runestone into a work of art.

Ancient sites and rune stones are protected by law in Scandinavia. Rune stones was often carved in memorial of a dead or fallen family member, and many stones are also erected and carved in memory of a road, a bridge building or after seafaring Vikings.