Editing Runestone (section)

===Those commemorated===

A vast majority, 94%, are raised in memory of men, but, contrary to common perception, the vast majority of the runestones are raised in memory of people who died at home. The most famous runestones and those that people tend to think of are those that tell of foreign voyages, but they comprise only c. 10% of all runestones,<ref name="harrison196"/> and they were raised in usually memory of those not having returned from Viking expeditions and not as tributes to those having returned.<ref name="harrison197"/> These runestones contain roughly the same message as the majority of the runestones, which is that people wanted to commemorate one or several dead kinsmen.<ref name="harrison196"/>

====Expeditions in the East====
[[File:Ög 8, Västra Steninge.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The [[Varangian Runestones#Ög 8|Kälvesten Runestone]], Sweden]]
[[File:Sö 65, Djulefors.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The [[Italy Runestones#Sö 65|Djulafors Runestone]], Sweden]]
The first man who scholars know fell on the eastern route was the [[Östergötland|East Geat]] Eyvindr whose fate is mentioned on the 9th century [[Varangian Runestones#Ög 8|Kälvesten Runestone]].<ref name="harrison196"/> The epitaph reads:

{{quote|Styggr/Stigr made this monument in memory of Eyvindr, his son. He fell in the east with Eivísl. Víkingr coloured and Grímulfr.<ref name="harrison197">Harrison & Svensson 2007:197</ref><ref name="rundataög8">The entry Ög 8 in [[Rundata]].</ref>}}

It is unfortunate for historians that the stones rarely reveal where the men died.<ref name="harrison197"/> On the [[Varangian Runestones#Vg 184|Smula Runestone]] in [[Västergötland]], we are informed only that they died during a war campaign in the East: "Gulli/Kolli raised this stone in memory of his wife's brothers Ásbjôrn and Juli, very good valiant men. And they died in the east in the retinue".<ref name="harrison197"/><ref name="rundatavg184">The entry Vg 184 in [[Rundata]].</ref> Another [[runemaster]] in the same province laconically states on the [[Varangian Runestones#Vg 197|Dalum Runestone]]: "Tóki and his brothers raised this stone in memory of their brothers. One died in the west, another in the east".<ref name="harrison197"/><ref name="rundatavg197">The entry Vg 197 in [[Rundata]].</ref>

The country that is mentioned on the most runestones is the [[Byzantine Empire]], which at the time comprised most of [[Asia Minor]] and the [[Balkans]], as well as a part of Southern Italy. If a man died in the Byzantine Empire, no matter how he had died or in which province, the event was noted as "he died in Greece". Sometimes an exception could be made for Southern Italy, which was known as the land of the [[Lombards]], such as Inga's Óleifr who, it is presumed, was a member of the [[Varangian Guard]], and about whom the [[Italy Runestones#Sö 65|Djulafors Runestone]] in Södermanland says: "Inga raised this stone in memory of Óleifr, her ... He ploughed his stern to the east, and met his end in the land of the Lombards."<ref name="harrison197"/><ref name="rundatasö65">The entry Sö 65 in [[Rundata]].</ref>

Other Norsemen died in [[Gardariki]] (Russia and Ukraine) such as Sigviðr on the [[Varangian Runestones#Sö 171|Esta Runestone]] who his son Ingifastr reported had fled in [[Novgorod]] (''Holmgarðr''): "He fell in Holmgarðr, the ship's leader with the seamen."<ref name="harrison197"/><ref name="rundatasö171">The entry Sö 171 in [[Rundata]].</ref> There were others who died not as far from home and it appears that there were close contacts with [[Estonia]] due to many personal names such as ''Æistfari'' ("traveller to Estonia"), ''Æistulfr'' ("Wolf of Estonians") and Æistr ("Estonian"). One of the runestones that report of deaths in Estonia is the [[Baltic expeditions runestones#U 356|Ängby Runestone]] which tells that a Björn had died in [[Vironia]] (''Virland'').<ref name="harrison197"/>

There were many ways to die as reported by the runestones. The [[Baltic expeditions runestones#Sö 39|Åda Runestone]] reports that Bergviðr drowned during a voyage to [[Livonia]],<ref name="harrison197"/> and the [[Varangian Runestones#G 134|Sjonhem Runestone]] tells that the [[Gotlander]] Hróðfúss was killed in a treacherous way by what was probably a people in the [[Balkans]].<ref name="harrison197ff">Harrison & Svensson 2007:197ff</ref> The most famous [[Varangian Runestones|runestones that tell of eastern voyages]] are the [[Ingvar Runestones]] which tell of [[Ingvar the Far-Travelled]]'s expedition to [[Serkland]], i.e., the Muslim world. It ended in tragedy as none of the more than 25 runestones that were raised in its memory tells of any survivor.<ref name="harrison198">Harrison & Svensson 2007:198</ref>

====Expeditions in the West====
[[File:U 344, Orkesta.JPG|right|thumb|upright|The [[England Runestones#U 344|Yttergärde Runestone]], Sweden]]
[[File:Vallebergastenen lund 2006.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[England Runestones#DR 337|Valleberga Runestone]], Sweden, reports that two Vikings had died in London.]]
Other Vikings travelled westwards. The Anglo-Saxon rulers paid large sums, [[Danegeld]]s, to Vikings, who mostly came from Denmark and who arrived to the English shores during the 990s and the first decades of the 11th century. What may be part of a Danegeld has been found submerged in a creek in Södra Betby in Södermanland, Sweden. At the location, there is also [[Viking Runestones#Sö 260|a runestone]] with the text: "[...] raise the stone in memory of Jôrundr, his son, who was in the west with Ulfr, Hákon's son."<ref name="harrison198"/><ref name="rundatasö260">The entry Sö 260 in [[Rundata]].</ref> It is not unlikely that the voyage westwards is connected with the English silver treasure.<ref name="harrison198"/> Other runestones are more explicit with the Danegelds. [[Ulf of Borresta]] who lived in [[Vallentuna]] travelled westwards several times,<ref name="harrison198"/> as reported on the [[England Runestones#U 344|Yttergärde Runestone]]:
{{quote|And Ulfr has taken three payments in England. That was the last that [[Skagul Toste|Tosti]] paid. Then [[Thorkell the Tall|Þorketill]] paid. Then [[Canute the Great|Knútr]] paid.<ref name="harrison198"/><ref name="rundatasu344">The entry U 344 in [[Rundata]].</ref>}}

Tosti may have been the Swedish chieftain [[Skagul Toste|Skoglar Tosti]] who is otherwise only mentioned by [[Snorri Sturluson]] in ''[[Heimskringla]]'' and who Snorri reports to have been a "great warrior" who "was out for long periods of time on war expeditions". Þorketill was [[Thorkell the Tall]], one of the most famous Viking chieftains, and who often stayed in England. Knútr is no one else but [[Canute the Great]], who became king of England in 1016.<ref name="harrison198"/>

Canute sent home most of the Vikings who had helped him conquer England, but he kept a strong bodyguard, the [[Þingalið]]. It was considered to be a great honour to be part of this force, and, on the [[Viking Runestones#U 668|Häggeby Runestone]] in Uppland, it is reported that Geiri "sat in the Assembly's retinue in the west,"<ref name="harrison198"/><ref name="rundatau668">The entry U 668 in [[Rundata]].</ref> and the [[Viking Runestones#Ög 111|Landeryd Runestone]] mentions Þjalfi, "who was with Knútr".<ref name="harrison198"/><ref name="rundataög111">The entry Ög 111 in [[Rundata]].</ref> Some Swedish Vikings wanted nothing else but to travel with Danes such as Thorkell and Canute the Great, but they did not make it to their destinations. Sveinn, who came from Husby-Sjuhundra in Uppland, died when he was half-way to England, as explained on the [[England Runestones#U 539|runestone that was raised in his memory]]: "He died in [[Jutland|Jútland]]. He meant to travel to England".<ref name="harrison198ff">Harrison & Svensson 2007:198ff</ref><ref name="rundatau539">The entry U 539 in [[Rundata]].</ref> Other Vikings, such as Guðvér did not only attack England, but also [[Saxony]], as reported by the [[England Runestones#Sö 166|Grinda Runestone]] in Södermanland:<ref name="harrison199"/>
{{poemquote|
Grjótgarðr (and) Einriði, the sons
made (the stone) in memory of (their) able father.
Guðvér was in the west;
divided (up) payment in England;
manfully attacked
townships in Saxony.<ref name="harrison199">Harrison & Svensson 2007:199</ref><ref name="rundatasö166">The entry Sö 166 in [[Rundata]].</ref>}}
There are in total about 30 runestones that tell of people who went to England,<ref name="harrison199"/> see the [[England Runestones]]. Some of them are very laconic and only tell that the Viking was buried in [[London]], or in [[Bath, Somerset]].<ref name="harrison199"/>
[[File:Kalle Dahlberg modern runestone.jpg|thumb|upright|Modern runestone on [[Adelsö]] near Stockholm, Sweden]]