Sønder Kirkeby Runestone, Norse runestone in Guldborgsund Municipality, Denmark.
Sønder Kirkeby Runestone is a granite stone from the Viking Age bearing a carved ship image and four lines of runic text beneath it. The surface includes carefully incised details that reveal how Norse craftspeople combined imagery and writing to create meaningful objects.
The stone was built into the northwest wall of a church starting in 1802, until the Danish Antiquarian Commission removed it in 1811 for preservation. Today it is housed and maintained at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.
The runic inscription reads as a memorial from Sassur to his brother Ásgautr, shaped with three bind runes that invoke Thor. These combined characters show how Vikings embedded spiritual meanings into their stone carvings.
The stone is currently on display at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen among other Viking Age artifacts. Visitors should note that the runic inscriptions are finely carved and require close attention to read.
The stone conceals additional runes hidden within the waves below the ship, with multiple symbols combined into single characters. These layered messages demonstrate how Viking Age carvers wove complex meanings into their stonework.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
