The Frösö Runestone

Jämtland · Sverige · Stone formation

The world's northernmost runestone holds the Great Lake Monster bound – and the legend adds that the binding breaks the day someone can read and understand the inscription.

The legend was written down as early as 1635 by the rector Mogens Pedersen, making it one of the oldest recorded in northern Sweden. Long ago two trolls, Jata and Kata, stood on the shore of Storsjön each boiling a brew. They boiled and topped up their kettles for days, weeks and years without knowing what would come of it. One evening a strange sound rose from one of the kettles – it whined, groaned and screamed – and then came a loud bang. Out of the kettle leapt a creature with the black body of a serpent and the head of a cat, and it vanished into the lake. The monster grew until it reached all the way round the island of Frösön and could bite its own tail. Then Ketil Runske bound it with a spell, carved into a stone bearing the image of the serpent. As long as the stone stands, the monster stays bound – until someone can read and understand the inscription.

FAQ

Hvor ligger The Frösö Runestone?

The Frösö Runestone ligger i Jämtland, Sverige.