A runestone being made by the modern runemaster Kalle Dahlberg.
A runemaster or runecarver is a specialist in making runestones.
Most early medieval Scandinavians were probably literate in runes, and most people probably carved messages on pieces of bone and wood.[1] However, it was difficult to make runestones, and in order to master it you also needed to be a stonemason.[1] During the 11th century, when most runestones were raised, there were a few professional runemasters.[1] They and their apprentices were contracted to make runestones and when the work was finished, they usually signed the stone with the name of the runemaster[1] thus making runestone one of the oldest examples of signed art.
More than 100 runemasters are known from Viking Age Sweden and most of them from 11th century eastern Svealand.[2] Many anonymous runestones have more or less securely been attributed to these runemasters.[2]
