RUNESTONES AND CHRISTIANITYThe connection between runestones and Christianity is clearly witnessed by the large
amount of stones decorated with a cross; in Uppland there are crosses on over 50 per cent
of the stones. Crosses seem to be more frequent in the earlier style groups, perhaps
indicating that it was more important to show one’s Christian faith in the early part of
the conversion than towards the end. Many inscriptions are finished by a simple prayer:
‘May God help his/her soul.’ In some cases there are more elaborate prayers like ‘May
God and God’s mother help his spirit and soul and grant him light and paradise’ on a
stone decorated in Pr 1 or ‘May Christ let Tumme’s soul come into light and paradise
and into the world best for Christians,’ on a stone decorated in Pr 4. Pilgrimage is
mentioned twice, once on a stone decorated in Pr 2 erected in memory of Östen,
grandfather of the famous Jarlabanke: ‘he went out to Jerusalem and died in Greece’.
The second pilgrimage inscription, with decoration in Pr 3 , tells us that ‘Ingerun,
Hård’s daughter, had the runes cut in memory of herself. She wanted to go eastward and
out to Jerusalem.’ There are also some inscriptions that mention persons who died in
‘white clothes’, in all probability baptismal gowns.
CHRISTIANITY IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITYThe location of the runestones in the landscape may also give us some information of the
Christian connotation. In Uppland there are about seventy-five stones with inscriptions
that mention the building of bridges for the soul(s) of the commemorated dead
(Gräslund 1989 : 228 – 33 ). In order to promote the building of roads and bridges the
Church had already at an early stage incorporated this in the system of indulgence – in
return the Church offered intercession for the soul of the dead and/or absolution.
Judging from the location near water or wetlands another approximately seventy-five
stones could be added. The female component in these inscriptions ( 52 %) is clearly
higher than in the total number of runestones. Women are generally more frequently
seen as raisers or commemorated, alone or together with men, in Uppland ( 39 %), than
in the rest of Sweden (for example in the province of Småland they make up only 8 %).
As runestones and bridges should be seen in connection with the conversion, women’s
actions in these cases have special significance, an interesting combination along with
other testimonies to their active role in the conversion. However, both men and women
had runestones raised and bridges built, certainly acts of prestige and therefore worth
mentioning. Judging from their ornamentation, bridge stones occur throughout the
eleventh century, represented by stylistic groups from ‘unornamented’ to Pr 4. Bridge
inscriptions also occur in Denmark and Norway. A famous Norwegian example is the
Dynna stone with the inscription ‘Gunvor, Thrydrik’s daughter, made a bridge in
memory of Astrid, her daughter. She was the handiest maiden in Hadeland.’ The stone is
decorated with scenes from the Christmas gospel and it is a good example of classic
Ringerike style. Obviously, the Christmas gospel was reasonably well known in Norway
in the first half of the eleventh century.
A study of records left by Swedish researchers of runes from the seventeenth, eight-
eenth and nineteenth centuries reveals that many runestones were placed in cemeteries,
sometimes directly on a mound or in a stone-setting with a shape that allows a dating
to the Viking Age (Gräslund 1987 : 256 – 7 ; 2000 : 89 ). In many cases the graves have
–– Anne-Sofie Gräslund and Linn Lager––