An Iron Age menhir

Menhirs continued to be raised in Scandinavia during the Pre-Roman Iron Age and later, over the graves of deceased. In Sweden, they are called bautastenar or resta stenar (raised stones). They were raised both as solitary stones and in formations, such as the stone ships and the stone circles. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (480x658, 468 KB) Summary from Swedish wikipedia. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (480x658, 468 KB) Summary from Swedish wikipedia. ... A menhir is a large, single upright standing stone (monolith or megalith), of prehistoric European origin. ... See also the Nordic countries. ... A map of the area covered by the Pre-Roman Iron Age, ca 500 BC-1 AD The Pre-Roman Iron Age (also called the Celtic Iron Age) (ca 600 BC or 500 BC - ca 1 AD) designates the earliest part (i. ... The stone ship at Anunds barrow The Stone ship was a Gemanic burial custom, typical for Scandinavia with scattered examples in Northern Germany and along the coast of the Baltic States (where they are called devil ships). ... A minor stone circle in Brändåsen, Hardemo parish, Närke. ...

Sometimes, they were raised only as commemoration to great people, a tradition which was continued as the runestones. A rune stone Rune stones are somewhat flat standing stones with runic stone carvings from the Iron Age (Viking Age) and early middle ages found in most parts of Scandinavia. ...

The tradition was strongest in Götaland and appears to have followed the Goths to Northern Poland where they are a characteristic of the Wielbark culture[1][2]. Götaland Maps of Swedens historical three lands, and Österland in Finland. ... Invasion of the Goths: a late 19th century painting by O. Fritsche portrays the Goths as cavalrymen. ... The red area is the extent of the Wielbark culture in the first half of the 3rd century. ...

Snorri Sturluson

Even if knowledge that the menhirs were usually graves was later lost, it was still fresh in the 13th century as testify these lines by Snorri Sturluson in the introduction of the Heimskringla: (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... Snorri Sturluson (1178 â€“ September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet and politician. ... Heimskringla is the Old Norse name of a collection of sagas recorded in Iceland around 1225 by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson (1179-1242). ...

As to funeral rites, the earliest age is called the Age of Burning; because all the dead were consumed by fire, and over their ashes were raised standing stones.[3]

For men of consequence a mound should be raised to their memory, and for all other warriors who had been distinguished for manhood a standing stone; which custom remained long after Odin's time.[4]

In the same work, Snorri wrote that the Swedes burnt their dead king Vanlade and raised a stone over his ashes by the River Skyt (one of the tributaries of the River Fyris): Vanlade, Vanlande was a Swedish king at Uppsala of the House of Yngling. ... Fyrisån is a river in the Swedish province of Uppland, which passes the city of Uppsala and ends in lake Mälaren. ...

The Swedes took his body and burnt it at a river called Skytaa, where a standing stone was raised over him.[5]

The tradition is also mentioned in Hávamál. Hávamál (The Words of the High One), (known also as The Sayings of Har, or the High Song of Odin), a work of Old Norse poetry, is a source document for the study of Norse mythology, being a set of rules for wise living (and survival) purportedly written...