A forest of anonymous dead.
History fills this small part of the woods.
The Swedish government does not advertise it at all. No signs and no brochures will guide you.
Archaeological excavations haven’t even really been done there either.
If you don’t drive, only one bus will get you there, an hour ride away from Stockholm.
Let’s get one thing clear, almost no one will get why you’re travelling there.
“Are you okay?” That’s what the bus station employee asked me in Stockholm when I tried to buy a ticket.
He was dead serious.
To him, there was absolutely nothing to see there.
Runestones are everywhere in Sweden, so why bother traveling an hour away for this specific one?
The Swedish kind hidden in a garden
Thousands of viking-era graves form the forest, as far as the eye can see.
Silent bumps in the landscape, and no one really knows who is buried in them. The place is quiet and still.
Only one grave stands out : the one belonging to Björn Ragnarsson.
The (legal) sketchy adventure
Your GPS is the key to helping you find it ! It really is the only way, trust me.
Be careful though : although it is tolerated to access it for photos or a hike, it is on private land.
There is a fence to jump over before you can get to the tombstone from the nearest residential street.
It feels a bit surreal to do. Legally speaking.
I ran into a jogger while on my adventure, who just smiled it off as I pulled out my phone.
Local habits, I guess.
And I almost slipped on a dead crow getting there. Somehow it was very “on brand”.
The norse gods were trying to tell me something, maybe ?
Sagas vs. TV series fans
The runestone sits there, overlooking the maritime access of Munsö island.
You can clearly feel the pop-culture influence : some fans (likely from the Vikings series) left small offerings behind, including a wooden sword and stones.
It’s a very interesting monument when you have done your historical research.
If you want more information about Bjorn Jarnsida, I recommend this very complete link on the sagas and the story of Bjorn Ragnarsson (in french).
If you’re not a hardcore viking history nerd and only have a few days in Stockholm, skip this one.
It is, after all, literally just a decorated rock in the middle of the woods.
Birka is, on the other hand, worth it with a guide.
But if you like nature and the risk of accidentaly stepping into bird intestines, this might just be the trip for you.
