Runestone

Our runestones are real, authentic and majestic pieces for the discerning customer who values a historically accurate crafting process. The meticulous, time-consuming process of making the runestone according to authentic Viking Age techniques requires rare skills and knowledge that are almost obsolete in our modern world. Each runestone is unique and based on the wishes of the customer, just as during the Viking Age.

Runestones were raised by Norsemen between the 4th and the 12th Centuries as memorials over the dead and to ackowledge great deeds or achievements. Most Nortsemen dreamed of being immortalized through a runestone - few could afford the extremely tedious work by the rune carver. It was, however, an imperishable investment that still echoes a thousand years later through the 3000 runestones from the Viking Age that dot the Scandinavian landscape. Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runestone

About the Runemaster: Our Runecarver, Kalle Dahlberg, is a modern day Runemaster and archaeological scholar who has carved runestones since 1993. He lives right next to Birka and Hovgården, which was one of the most important centres of trade during the Viking Age.

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References: Kalle Dahlberg has not only carved new runestones, but also made reproductions of stolen, old runestones, as well as restored old Viking Age runestones. See the entire gallery of his work here: http://www.runristare.se/galleri/01-index.html

Here is a detailed story about the work on the Vinland Runestone commissioned by the Viking Trail Tourist Association (VTTA) in Newfoundland, Canada. It was carved in Sweden and shipped to Newfoundland: http://www.runestonecarver.com/gallery/25_vinland/vinland1/00-vinland1.html

Worth to note: Our runestones are hand carved according to the same techniques used during the Viking Age. The ornamentations are based on the Viking Age tradition of runestone carving.

Availability and delivery: We are only able to deliver one or two runestones per year. The time required from the initial order and agreement to the finished product is usually around six months.

Price of a runestone. The price depends on three factors: 
1. The price of the stone from a stonemason costs anywhere in between $2.500 to $5.000. If you have a stone suitable for the purpose, it can naturally be transported here for only the shipping cost.
2. The ornamentation and amount of runes that are carved into the stone will naturally affect the price. The work on a 'normal' runestone costs around $10.000.
3. The shipping costs of the stone are added to that. That is, the transportation of the stone to the Runemaster and from him to you.

How to get a runestone:  
1. If you are a serious buyer, send us your notice of interest to support@grimfrost.com. Include some basic information about the runestone, such as your wishes, thoughts and questions. In the following correspondence a basic concept will be reached, which allows for step 2.
2. Our Runemaster will begin the search for the perfect stone, usually from a stonemason who is able to customise the shape.
3. When the right stone is found, our Runemaster will create a proposal of the ornamentation based on the stone’s shape. You will naturally be able to modify the details.
4. The text planned for the runestone will then be translated to runes and inserted into a detailed image that shows the end result digitally.
5. When you are satisfied you will pay a non-refundable 30% deposit.
6. When the stone arrives to our Runemaster, he will begin working on it. Reaching this point usually takes about 2/3 of the expected production time.
7. When the ornamentation is carved into the stone and before the runes are carved, a second non-refundable 30% deposit is required. This is due to the runes forever binding the stone to you.
8. The remaining payment is made when the runes are carved and the stone is ready for shipping.