Böksta Runestone, Norse runestone in Balingsta socken, Sweden

The Böksta Runestone is a grey granite slab 2.6 m high and 2.2 m wide, standing on the north side of the road between Böksta and Balingsta Church in Uppland. Inside a runic band a bearded rider with spear, a skier with bow and arrow, two dogs and two birds pursue an antlered animal. The stone is cracked into five blocks, rejoined.

The inscription records that Ingi-... and Jógerðr had the stone raised in memory of their son Eistr, while Ernfastr and the brothers raised it in memory of their brother. It was carved around 1050 CE in runestone style Pr2 (Ringerike). Originally at Prästgården, the stone was broken into five pieces; four were moved to the current roadside spot in 1864, and the fifth, found at the Balingsta church gate, was reattached in 2004.

The scene is usually read as an elk hunt, though hunting elk on horseback in winter was not normal practice. The skier with bow and arrow is identified as the god Ullr, whose attributes are skis and a bow; the bearded rider with spear may be Odin. The stone carries no Christian references.

The stone stands outdoors in Uppsala Municipality and can be visited at any time of year without any formal entrance requirement. The carvings are easiest to read in natural daylight, so visiting in the morning or early afternoon gives you the best view.

Some researchers believe that one of the carved figures may represent Odin holding a spear, while another shows an archer on skis, possibly connected to the Norse god Ullr. If that reading is correct, the hunting scene carries a layer of meaning that goes well beyond a family memorial.