One uneventful day Gustaf and I were having lunch together in the kitchen area. Somehow the discussion topic moved to runestone. I am quite fond of history, so I expressed my interest in visiting one. Gustaf said, ‘sure. There are a number of those nearby. We should visit those sometimes. How about a runestone safari?’ We laughed and then got busy with our works.
Sometimes after Gustaf reminded me that a safari is still pending. We then discussed and decided to invite others. I sent the following invitation mail,
Greetings.
Gustaf and I are welcoming you all to a magical journey to the mysterious realm of the past, the runestone safari!
A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and bedrock. The tradition began in the 4th century and lasted into the 12th century, but most of the runestones date from the late Viking Age. Runes are the letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets, which were used to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet and for specialized purposes thereafter.
We will visit the nearby runestones at Kista. We will discuss it and we will try to decipher the language and motifs. We sincerely hope that this safari will be a perfect combination of history, mystery, fun, and a beautiful hike in the amazingly sunny weather.
We will be very happy if you join us. Please feel free to inform us if you require any additional information. We will also appreciate any new ideas or thoughts regarding this from you.
The event schedule is 29 May starting from 3 PM. We are looking forward to seeing you all on the safari.
Elisabeth responded to this invitation and agreed to join us. Gustaf provided an excellent introduction about the history related to runestone. We then began our journey. It was a wonderful experience, and I both enjoyed and learned a lot. I hope to retrace the paths one more time in the future.
For more information please see the excellent document that Gustaf made for the introduction,