Högby Runestone, Varangian runestone at Högby kyrka, Mjölby Municipality, Sweden.
The Högby Runestone is a monument with runic inscriptions on both sides that tells the story of five brothers from a local family. The carvings document their different fates and are written in Old Norse language using Younger Futhark script.
The stone was created in the 11th century and includes accounts of family members with far-reaching connections across Eastern Europe. One inscription tells of Assur, who served as a guard for the Byzantine Emperor and died in Greece around 1010.
The inscriptions reveal how families maintained strong ties to eastern lands and honored their members who traveled far. The carved text shows these distant connections were important enough to be permanently recorded in stone.
The runestone stands beside Högby Church and is easy to reach via the main pathways of the municipality. Since it is outdoors, visitors can view it at any time without needing to enter any building.
The stone contains a rare poetic verse written in fornyrðislag meter, an ancient Norse verse form commissioned by Þorgerðr. This woman had the verse carved to memorialize her five uncles, each with a different fate.
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