Spring 2000

The quarry and work on Adelsö

I'll carve a rune stone in memory of Leif Eriksson's "exploration" of North America. The finished rune stone will be erected on the northern Newfoundland.

I knew even then that it would become a memory for life so I photographed and documented as much as it could.

Welcome to my tale of Leif Eriksson's rune stone.

When the spring came, I took myself to Vätö stonemasonry outside Norrtälje which has a beautiful granite of high quality. I am looking for a subject that is wild and beautiful, which has its own form created by nature itself.


 
After several hours of searching is suddenly there, right before our eyes.
The stone block looks good, but we can only see a small part of it, the rest is buried under large rocks.
Thorbjörns machine brings out the stone. It's perfect, better than we hoped for. It has smooth surface, good size with personalized shape. This is stone I was looking for and now it will be able to start its journey to Canada.
 
The stone comes to Adelsö
 

Finally the rune stone comes to Adelsö.
The stone has been cleaned and foot has been formed to stand better as completed.
The truck puts 1700 kg granite where we want it. A gentle rain gives the stone's already red surface a deeper tone. Once in place and propped up in the best way we welcome the stone with a good mead.
 
and the work can begin
 

I begin by carving ornamentation edge.
Easy and safe cutting letting me know the stone.

My tools
 
  < Frode, my loyal support and best friend.

He keeps a watchful eye on the surroundings
from his sheepskin on the stone.


The first details carved

I start with the knot to keep sun compass in place.
To carve smooth and fine chopping tracks on a rough stone surface is not always easy and the concentration required for this can easily be at the expense of forgetting the subject you are working with.

To succeed, I often get up and squint a little bit with my eyes and just look for the subject to see if all the "moving" in a natural way. That means I do not really look at it I cut no more that I cut up.

The day the rune stone is finished and bodies filled with color, any mistakes appear all too clearly. To afford the patient and to think right now is something I do not have to regret in the future.

 
The ornamentation is emerging and a school class do visit
 

School class from Birkagården in Karlskoga come to visit.

I show them how I work and tells about the ornamentation and and the stone onward travel to Canada.

The ornamentation is half-sketched, still no dragon head and no tail, even the sun compass is missing and of course all the runes.

 
Visits by friends and Dragon gets his head
 
Visit of Tuja and Börje Börje and his jew's harp Dragon's head is there
 
TV make one more reports
 
A television team makes a story which also aired in around Sweden Frejan, a perfect sidekick rests in the oak
 
Old and heavy oak with carved details.
 
A three-ton oak with ornamentation has been shaped roots and tarred.
Now is the time to set it up .. I might need a little help ...
The oak is erect and stands nicely in the background of the rune stone
 
The ornamentation is completed - time for the runes
 
A total of 110 runes should fit Soon, half of the runes carved. More visitors
 
TV4 and visitors
 
Another TV4 doing a story, this one close study carve runes from the end Telling that 55 of the 110 runes are carved
 
Midsummer - and only one rune left
 
Then will our Maypole erected and soon the food finished Gillet can begin
 
Midnight on Midsummer Eve - Time to cut the last rune, an R in the word "Kalle Rista" (Carve)
 
Time to paint the rune stone.
The result of many months of planning and work show up now.
Frejan has built a special pallets for the runestone.
In the evening Tord lift it into place.
 
The box built directly on the pallet. June 30 - The rune stone loaded.
 
Bjorn gently lifts up the rune stone at
ASA Transporter truck.
This side up!  :-) Rune stones long journey has begun.
Here leaves Adelsö island.
 

Thank´s for support!

July 29, 2000
the date when the Leif Eriksson's rune stone to be erected

For a long time it looked like I would not be able to attend the opening
ceremony and the raising of the rune stone in Canada. But then one day,
someone calls from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Foreign Ministry) ..

Next Page - My long travel throughout Newfoundland - Take me there >

1 Start - Close-ups of the completed rune stone
2 Adelsö - Follow the work on Adelsö
3 Newfoundland - 690 mil across Newfoundland
4 L'Anse aux Meadows - inauguration, ships and rune stones etc.