Runkesten
The Runkesten (RAÄ number: Rumskulla 51: 1) in Rumskulla, near Vimmerby in Småland in Sweden is considered one of the largest rocking stones in the world. The stone is about 5.5 m wide, 6.5 m long and 4 m high and can be moved back and forth up to 10 cm by human strength.
From Rumskulla a signposted hiking trail leads through the forest to Runkesten.
In the Quaternary , northern and central Europe were covered by ice at least four times. The ice sheet transported huge boulders south. The two to three kilometer thick ice cover looked like a giant scratch and carried the blocks away: When the ice melted about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, they were placed on the surface. The Runkesten came to rest on a stone base so that it became a rocking stone .
Legend
According to legend, the Runkesten was thrown here by a giant with the threat of destroying anyone who would overturn the stone (taken from the information board on site).
The roughly 900 year old Rumskullaeken (or Kvilleken (after the hamlet of Norra Kvill )) is an English oak near the Norra Kvill National Park .
Trollegata or Trollevägga in the woods near Rumskulla is a steep gorge with local legends.
Web links
- Runkesten - entry in the database "Fornsök" of the Riksantikvarieämbetet (Swedish)
- Description and pictures
Coordinates: 57 ° 37 '59.1 " N , 15 ° 36" 39.3 " E