ROK STONE

9th-century memorial block bearing the longest runic inscription known, found in stergtland, Swed. Carved in granite, 725 runes bear a legible text containing secret formulas, perhaps maledictory in nature, verses of epic character, allusions to heroic myths, and a poetic vocabulary. Engraved by Sibbi, the inscription was composed by Varin in memory of his slain son, Vmod. A complete stanza in the middle of the inscription is believed to concern Theodoric the Great. The runes themselves are distinctive, being of a SwedishNorwegian runic alphabet of 16 characters. Also carved on the stone are nine lines in the older runic alphabet (futhark). The rune carver also used cipher for magical purposes.