selchieproductions: Before we start - being able to transcribe stones like the one above was one of the things we were taught in primary and secondary school. I am a geek, but this I blame on the Swedish school system.  Anyway, runes are a lot easier to read when they’re not written in code or in half-runes. Just take the Swedish inscription above as an example. As long as you know where to start, i.e. in the bottom left corner, transcribing and translating the inscription is a fairly straightforward process. The runes read as follows, the : indicates a space between two words. Þurstain:auk:aystain:auk:natfari:raistu:stain:at:finuiþ:auk:ulaf:þurkil:byruþr:sin:uaru:alir:uikiks:sunir:latburniR:man:litu:rita:stain:stainkil:rist:runir Now, if we transcribe this further, into the Swedish version of Old Norse, the runes read as follows; Þurstæn aug Öystæn aug Nadvari ræstu stæn at Finviþ aug Ulav þurkill byruþR sin - varu alliR vikings synir lændburniR mæn lætu rætta sten. Stænkill rist runir. Which, in English, reads as follows; Thorsten and Östen and Nattfare raised this stone in memory of their brothers Finnvid and Olav, Thorkill. They were all the sons of Vikings of Noble birth, the ones who asked for this stone to be erected. Stenkill carved the runes.

selchieproductions:

Before we start - being able to transcribe stones like the one above was one of the things we were taught in primary and secondary school.

I am a geek, but this I blame on the Swedish school system. 

Anyway, runes are a lot easier to read when they’re not written in code or in half-runes. Just take the Swedish inscription above as an example. As long as you know where to start, i.e. in the bottom left corner, transcribing and translating the inscription is a fairly straightforward process.

The runes read as follows, the : indicates a space between two words.

Þurstain:auk:aystain:auk:natfari:raistu:stain:at:finuiþ:auk:ulaf:þurkil:byruþr:sin:uaru:alir:uikiks:sunir:latburniR:man:litu:rita:stain:stainkil:rist:runir

Now, if we transcribe this further, into the Swedish version of Old Norse, the runes read as follows;

Þurstæn aug Öystæn aug Nadvari ræstu stæn at Finviþ aug Ulav þurkill byruþR sin - varu alliR vikings synir lændburniR mæn lætu rætta sten. Stænkill rist runir.

Which, in English, reads as follows;

Thorsten and Östen and Nattfare raised this stone in memory of their brothers Finnvid and Olav, Thorkill. They were all the sons of Vikings of Noble birth, the ones who asked for this stone to be erected. Stenkill carved the runes.