Keweenaw Runestones

Why Runestones?

The Vikings had a written language. The symbols used in their writings are called runes. During their extensive travels, the Vikings sometimes left tablets, known as runestones, with runic messages carved on them. One such tablet was found in Kensington, Minnesota, in 1898 by Olaf Ohman, a local farmer. For the next hundred years, academics declared this runestone a hoax. However, recent findings of tablets of the same age in Sweden indicate that the Kensington runestone, in fact, may be genuine.

Unlike English, the runic language of the Vikings is not a purely alphabetic system. The runes on our runestones belong to a group, often called Younger Futhark, that can be used as a sort of alphabet, while also having symbolic meanings.

Note: Although the Vikings mined copper on the Keweenaw Peninsula and the area is well-known for its copper mining history into the late 20th Century, our runestones are actual stones and not made of copper. Check back with us later, as we are considering offering some raw copper with runes on them.

To commemorate this area's ancient Viking connection, we have carefully painted symbolic runes on hand-selected natural stones. All our stones are native to the Keweenaw Peninsula. Local Keweenaw artists handpaint the runes on the stones. We then apply a nontoxic coating to protect the paint and enhance the color and feel of the stones.

The result is a unique, vibrant look that indeed feels special when held in your hand. Do they possess any special powers or impart beneficial auras?