The Mora Stones

S.Pathkiller 2009, The Mora royal election stones, CC.

Another place of significant historical interest lies approximately 10 kilometers southeast of Uppsala at Mora äng (Mora meadow) where ancient kings were elected. According to historical tales, once a king was elected here, he would hail his subjects from Mora stone while his name was carved in a commemoration stone, placed there to document his election. That stone would be left so long as he reigned. The elected king would then embark on a risky journey called “Eriksgata”, traveling throughout the kingdom to have his election confirmed. Some of the kings did not survive the confirmation process, possibly killed by angry clan or a rival candidate.

Evidence of those elections can be seen in fragments of stone, inscribed with the names of some of those kings. It is not known exactly where the Mora stone was. Some suggest that it might be the large flat stone a half kilometer southeast of where the inscribed stones were found. The documental stones were destroyed in the 16th century, probably during a war against the Danes, with nine fragments remaining. One of the stones contains carvings of three crowns, and is the earliest known example of what became Sweden’s national symbol. A small building was erected in 1770 to house those nine stones and that is where they can be seen today.