A king he was on carven throne

In many-pillared halls of stone

With golden roof and silver floor,

And runes of power upon the door.

The light of sun and star and moon

In shining lamps of crystal hewn

Undimmed by cloud or shade of night

There shone for ever fair and bright.

– The Song of Durin, J.R.R. Tolkien

This album shows old photographs of rune stones in Sweden.

There are more than 4,000 runic inscriptions in Sweden, dated from the 3d century up to modern time. About 2,500 of the inscriptions are made on rune stones, most of them from the 11th century A.D. – the end of the Viking Age. They were not made as grave stones but as memorial stones. Most Swedish rune stones are from the province of Uppland, others are from Södermanland, Östergötland, Västergötland, Småland and other provinces… The picture stones are memorial stones from about 500-1100 A.D., with images engraved on raised stones, mainly on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea.

Via Swedish Heritage Board