Rö runestone, Norse runestone in the Swedish History Museum, Stockholm, Sweden

The Rö runestone is a granite slab over 2 metres tall and more than 1.2 metres wide, its roughly dressed face cut by four parallel rows of runes running from top to bottom. Flaking has damaged part of the flat inscribed surface, and a shallow carved spiral sits near the lower left. The elder futhark letters record Proto-Norse.

The stone dates to the 5th century and was found in 1919 at Rö farm on the island of Otterö. This discovery became one of the most important examples of Proto-Norse writing from that early period.

The name Stainawarijaz in the inscription means "Stone Guard" or "Keeper of Stones". The verb fahido, usually rendered "carved", actually means "painted", so the text may record that the runes were coloured. The stone was found in 1919 at Rö farm, and a copy now stands on Otterön.

The stone is housed at the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm alongside other Viking Age artifacts. Visitors can examine it within the broader context of other Nordic monuments and ancient objects.

The word fahido in the inscription is usually translated as "carved", but it actually means "painted". Many runestones had painted inscriptions, though there is no direct evidence that the Rö stone was painted beyond this word. A copy of the stone stands on Otterön.