Hällestad Runestones, Runestone monument in Torna-Hällestad, Skåne, Sweden

The Hällestad Runestones are three runestones set into the walls of Hällestad Church in Torna-Hällestad, about 20 km east of Lund. DR 295, of sandstone, is built into the south-western corner; its face has vertical rows of runes filled with red pigment, and its right edge is broken. DR 296 is granite, DR 297 sandstone, and both carry horizontal bands of red-filled runes framed by thin greenish-blue lines.

These stones date from the late 10th century and reference conflicts that took place during that era across Scandinavia. They contain names and details connected to notable historical figures of the time.

The stones record a war band's own terms: Toki Gormsson is called "brother", meaning brother-in-arms, and the men who "went closest" to him formed his shield circle in battle. Erra and Ásbjôrn are each named Toki's heimþegi, a "home-receiver" granted a house for service, a role compared to the housecarl.

The stones can be viewed at Hällestad Church, located roughly 20 kilometers east of Lund in southern Sweden. Visitors can see them directly at the church walls where they have been built in for centuries.

The inscriptions on these stones use boustrophedon writing, where the text direction changes from line to line. This unusual technique was rare in that period and preserves the names and stories of people whose memory would have otherwise been lost.