List of runestones


There are about 3,000 runestones in Scandinavia.
The runestones are unevenly distributed in Scandinavia:
The majority are found in Sweden, estimated at between 1,700 and 2,500. Denmark has 250 runestones, and Norway has 50.
There are also runestones in other areas reached by the Viking expansion, especially in the British Isles. Most of these were on the Isle of Man where 31 from the Viking era have been found. Four have also been discovered in England, fewer than eight in Scotland and one or two in Ireland. There are scattered examples elsewhere.
The vast majority of runestones date to the Viking Age and the period immediately following the Christianisation of Scandinavia. A small number predates the 9th century; one of the last runestones was raised in memory of the archbishop Absalon.
A small number of runestones may date to the late medieval to early modern period, such as the Fámjin stone, dated to the Reformation period. Modern runestones began to be produced in the 19th century Viking Revival.
The Scandinavian Runic-text Data Base is a project involving the creation and maintenance of a database of runestones in the Rundata database.

Elder Futhark runestones

The vast majority of runestones date to the Viking Age.
There is only a handful Elder Futhark runestones.

Younger Futhark runestones

The England runestones

The England runestones are a group of about 30 runestones located mostly in Sweden, with some in Norway, Denmark and northern Germany, which refer to Viking Age voyages to England.

Scandinavia proper

Sweden

The number of runestones in Sweden is estimated at between 1,700 and 2,500.
The Swedish district of Uppland has the highest concentration with as many as 1,196 inscriptions in stone, whereas Södermanland is second with 391).

Denmark

Denmark has a total of 250 known runestones.

Norway

Norway has a total of 50 known runestones.

North Atlantic

British Isles

Faroe Islands

Greenland

Other

Finland

  • Stora Ängesön Runestone, Hitis

Germany

Italy

Ukraine

Image stones

Modern runestones

A number of notable runestones of modern origin exist. Some of them are intended as hoaxes, their creators attempting to imitate a Viking Age artefact. Especially since the late 20th century, runestones in the style of the Viking Age were also made without pretense of authenticity, either as independent works of art or as replicas as museum exhibits or tourist attractions.
This concerns especially runestones found in North America. There is also a limited set of early modern runestones created after the end of the Viking Age but before the "Viking Revival".