 Välkomna till den första installeringen av den svenska historiska projektet. För att börja med, jag trodde att det skulle vara en bra idé att tala lite om vikingmentalitet. Det här är något som kommer att reappera även efter att vikingen har endat. Det är en väg för glöshåll. Jag står här, vid en glöshållig rundstån, och jag kommer att tala lite om rundstånen. Och för att prata både om rundstånen och vikingmentalitet är med en kvot från Hava Mal, som går som följer. Kettledaj och kinsmendaj. Och en dag kommer du också att dö. Men det är en sak jag vet som aldrig dömer. Den fämre av en dödsman. Och det är exakt vad rundstånen är. Det är en kompens. Räst av någon sanns, någon relatives, någon varena att kompensera en heroisk och glöshållig död. Så den vikingmentaliteten var till en stor del av att hitta den fämre, hitta den glöshållig rundstånen. Så det var viktigt att leva en liv som kan bli hällda upp som en modell till andra som kan inspirera den nästa generation till gröntes. Och vi har också haft att prata lite om vad glöshållig rundstånen är. Glöshåll kan vara sagt att vara respektföljare mellan de män av djur. Eller mellan de män av andra män. Det är om att göra något, skönta något, skönta något, något beyond the ordinary. Det är en interpretation av den metafysikala världen av glöshållig. The vikings were primarily out of two things, gold and glory. The gold part is quite easy to understand. Rating and trading was the lifeblood of the vikings. But also the glory aspect and that can explain the adventures they part took in both west and eastwards. So that is basically what a rundstone is. It's about someone who has lived a glorious life, a glorious enough life so that it will be told to others even after he is dead. So that is the fame of a dead man's deeds. You have rundstones to commemorate it. Now, if we're talking a bit about the viking expansions, we have to look upon the geography of Scandinavia. Back during the Viking age, most of Scandinavia was forest. So you couldn't really get all too easily to other parts via land. But going to other places with ships was much easier. So if we look upon the connections of that time, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland were much more connected via the coasts. So if we look upon which vikings went where, primarily vikings from western Sweden, Denmark and Norway went west. Whereas the vikings from the eastern coast of Sweden went east, down to Constantinople, also known as Mykla Gård. Now we will go to another rundstone, which is erected in the memory of someone who went west with the Danish king to take Danageld tribute in England. Now of course the vikings who went east didn't only raid and trade or join the Ivarinjian god to fight for the Byzantine emperor. Some of them established kingdoms. The most notable example is the name Russia, which comes from Roslagen, which is the area I am in at the moment. So eastern coast of Sweden in Uppland, Roslagen. And from there you derive the name of the Rus, which in turn became Russia. Although the Viking ruling class of Novgorod and the Russian kingdoms soon became assimilated by the larger Slavic populations. So behind me stands one of two rundstones raised in the memory of a man called Ulfrik, who went to England to bring back two Danagelds, which is the tribute the English paid the vikings to get off their land basically. Now of course as we will discuss later on in another episode, Knut the Great, Kanut the Great, the Danish king created a North Sea empire and his influence was felt even here in Sweden. And again if we're talking about the geography of Scandinavia, if you wonder why a runestone is placed here quite far from both Denmark and England, but in terms of actual time of transportation it was quite near considering the sea roads were so effectively used by the vikings. So when we're gauging communications and distances it needs to be viewed from the point of ships. And then also if we're talking about Denmark which would later become along with Russia, Sweden's greatest enemy. Back in the day there wasn't really much of a difference between Norwegians, Danes and Swedes. And for those who are wondering I can't understand Danish, I can speak Norwegian or rather I can speak Swedish to Norwegians and they can speak back Norwegian to me and I can understand back in the Viking Age we could understand each other perfectly because then the as I said again the connections were via the coasts rather than the actual land. So the cultural exchange we were much more similar back then so there wasn't really Denmark and Sweden as you would see later on in history. So that can explain why Swedish or rather vikings located in today Sweden went with Danish kings and also Danes and Norwegians went with Swedish ships on to the lands in the east. So basically to conclude this first episode of Runestones and Glory. Vikings were very much indeed occupied with the quest for glory, the quest for fame and riches and conquest. So thank you very much for watching. Next episode we will go to Uppsala city of the gods to talk a bit more about the religion of Scandinavia.