The rune stones that tell a mother's tale

Six massive stones hold stories of a simple life intertwined with powerful Swedish lords and leaders. This group of rune stones is a testament to the lives of a family so ancient and important in their own right that they required their own stories etched in stone.

Six rune stones stand at Broby bro, a location in Uppland, Sweden. They are massive – the tallest stands more than 5 ft high – and heavy, each one weighing several tons. The oldest of these – U 137 – was carved in a style from the 11th century, a time when powerful clans ruled the land. It tells the story of a woman named Estrid and her son, Gag, who died young. Estrid is the maternal ancestor of the Jarlabanke clan, a powerful family in Täby. U 137 mentions Estrid and Östen, and their son Gag, who dies. When U 137 was raised, Östen was still alive. U 135 and U 136 form a twin monument, they mention Östen who went to Jerusalem and died in the Byzantine Empire. Estrid, Östen and their sons Ingefast, Östen and Sven built a bridge and a barrow after their father.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

The rune stones that tell a mother's tale

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