The Viking Guildstone and Early Christian Mark 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. Among these stones, Ög 64 and Ög 66 stand out. Ög 64, towering at 3.2 meters, was discovered within the wall of the Bjälbo church and relocated, repaired, and lifted in the churchyard in 1935. Its runic text in the younger futhark, curving once to form two lines, reveals it was raised by a Viking-age guild, with no individual members named.

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 is now missing. 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, marking the memorial as Christian. Ög 66's runic text in the younger futhark, created in runestone style Fp, was created before the understanding of runestones' historical significance, often utilized as construction materials.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons