What can the historian learn about Viking society from a study of Rune stones?

The world of the Vikings was extensive. It stretched round the whole of Europe, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean. Discussion of the Viking Age has too often been dominated by a picture of fierce, pitiless barbarians spreading terror and destruction in their boundless lust for loot, and many less sensational but equally important aspects of the period have been overlooked. This is largely due to the one sided view presented by contemporary European chroniclers who, very understandably, saw the Vikings as plunderers and extorters of tribute. These writers knew little and cared less about their background, culture or trade, hence giving us a very distorted and biased overall picture. Modern historians of course realized this and take a closer and much broader look at all facets of the Viking Age in order to paint an accurate picture of Viking society. One such important facet is that of Rune Stones.

The alphabet the Vikings used was known as ‘runic’, each letter known as a ‘rune’.  Nobody knows exactly when or where the runic characters were invented. It was several centuries before the Viking period and probably somewhere near the Roman Empire, as many of the earlier letters inscribed resemble those of the Roman alphabet. Runic images were carved on wood, mental, bone and stone. They were widely used and in the case of Viking society, they offer us an interesting insight into their everyday life.

Join now!

The earliest messages were carved on sticks, but unfortunately wood doesn’t preserve well over the years and few runic wooden objects have been found. Runic designs were soon adapted for other, more durable materials such as bone and stone. Here the carvers could use a variety of different techniques for cutting the letters since they were no longer dealing with the fibrous material of wood. They were used for quite a wide range of texts including memorials, boundary posts, marker stones for bridges and roads, owners or makers marks, as well as for casual graffiti by Vikings on a day-to-day ...

This is a preview of the whole essay