The Bjälbo Runestones at Bjälbo, Sweden

The Bjälbo runestones, situated at Bjälbo, Sweden, consist of three Viking Age memorial runestones. Originally part of the Bjälbo church, they were moved into the churchyard in 1935.

Ög 64, standing 3.2 meters in height, was originally found in the wall of the Bjälbo church. It was removed, repaired, and raised in the churchyard in 1935 along with Ög 66. Its runic text in the younger futhark, curving once to make two lines, reveals it was raised as a memorial to a man named Greipr by members of a Viking Age guild. These members do not name themselves individually unless the runemaster Lofi was also a member of the guild.

This makes Ög 64 one of four runestones in Viking Age Sweden that mention guilds. Another runestone, Ög 65, was recorded at the Bjälbo church but has since been lost. Ög 66, rising to 4 meters, includes a runic text in the younger futhark, intricately carved in a serpent whose head and tail create a knot at the base of the stone. Above the serpent is a cross, identifying the memorial as Christian. Before the historic significance of runestones was understood, they were often re-used as materials in the construction of roads, bridges, and buildings such as churches.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons