Description
The Kylver stone was found during the excavation of a cemetery near a farm at Kylver, Stånga, Gotland in 1903. The stone was a flat limestone rock used to seal a grave and the runic inscription was written on the underside, and could therefore not be read from above. The dating of the stone from 400 CE is based upon the archeological dating of the graves.
The Kylver stone was removed from Gotland and brought to the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities in Stockholm where it is not currently on display (2008).
The fact that the inscription was on the inside of a cover to a grave has resulted in speculation that it represented a use of the elder futhark to pacify the dead man in some manner. However, it has been pointed out that there is nothing in the inscription to support this. In addition, there is no evidence that the inscription was made for the purpose of being used on the cover of a grave. There are many examples where stone with runic inscriptions was reused for other purposes. It has been suggested that the likely purpose of making the inscription was for practice or instruction in the carving of the elder futhark.
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