Cattle die, kindred die,
we ourselves also die;
but I know one thing that never dies, –
judgment on each one dead.
Havamal 77

A viking chieftain
in a praise of self
let carve his name on stones,
to mark his new devotion
a faith just taught,
to claim his ownership of land
and people (free and serfs)
his name still known
(but not his deeds)

Is that a human strait?
to leave a legacy
to boast of wealth
inflate himself
so still
the name of Jarlabanke is known
in streets and bridges.
Is wealth and willingness
to boast what makes
a person great?

Or is it just a name
that lost its meaning
except as letters carved in stone?
Or is it greater still
if embossed in gold?

Today Dora prompts us to write poetry about stones at dVerse. The area I live in has a lot of runestones, and a lot of them was raised by one man to celebrate his greatness. The stone in the picture was raised close to a bridge that he had built. He was also an early Viking adopting Christianity which shows in the runes themselves (he lived in the 11th century). Here is an article from CNN that tell you a little bit more about Jarlabanke and his time.

Vikings in my area travelled eastward through the rivers or what is now Ukraine and Belarus all the way down to Istianbul. The area north of where I live is called Roslagen, and it is actually believed that since the people living here were called Rus, it is what later formed the name of a country called Russia.

September 1, 2027