Upplands runinskrifter 172 Stone

How did a rune stone end up broken in half? Here at the Upplands runinskrifter 172 Stone, we see a monument to the mysteries of time. This rune stone, standing proudly by Dalängen, holds a story that is only partially known. The Upplands runinskrifter 172 Stone was first discovered in 1847 by Viktor Dahlgren, a land surveyor, who found the bottom half while working in Islinge. Imagine his surprise! For decades, it sat on its original discovery site. Later it was moved to a more prominent location. First, it graced the main building at Islinge farm. In 1943, it was moved to its current location on a hill by Dalängen, making the Upplands runinskrifter 172 Stone more accessible to the public. But the story doesn’t end there. The top half of the Upplands runinskrifter 172 Stone remains missing. There was much speculation about its whereabouts. In 1923, a caretaker named Nylander reported that he had seen the missing piece. He claimed it was used as filler during the construction of the Islinge harbor in 1902. Sadly, excavations in the 1940s proved fruitless. The inscription on the remaining portion of the Upplands runinskrifter 172 Stone tells a story about individuals named Kori, Ingialdr, and Bjørn. Its style suggests it was carved during the period when Christianity was taking root in Sweden, sometime during the mid-11th century. Though incomplete, the Upplands runinskrifter 172 Stone acts as a silent testament to the lives, beliefs, and losses of those who lived here centuries ago. It prompts us to ponder the full inscription’s message and the fate of its missing half. Who were these people? What was their full story? What happened to the rest of the stone? These questions linger in the air, a reminder that history often leaves us with more questions than answers.