The Granby Runestone with one of the longest Viking Age inscriptions in Uppland

The Granby Runestone, designated as U 337 under the Rundata catalog, is one of the longest Viking Age runic inscriptions located in Uppland, Sweden. This memorial to a family, whose story is told through etched runes on the stone's surface, mentions the property of the father Finnvid. Several other family members are also mentioned in the inscription, some of whom appear on other local runestones.

The runemaster who carved this intricate stone was Visäte, who was active in Uppland during the last half of the eleventh century. Visäte also carved seven other runestones in Uppland, including those in Husby, Råcksta, Lindö, Kumla, Kålsta, Säva, and Fällbro. In his work, he used an alternative spelling for Guð using an o-rune instead of a u-rune.

The style of the inscription is known as the Urnes style, which is also known as runestone style Pr4. This style is characterized by slim and stylized animals that are interwoven into tight patterns. The animal heads are typically seen in profile with slender almond-shaped eyes and upwardly curled appendages on the noses and the necks.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons