Ingvar Expedition Left Twenty-Six Runestones

In 1036, what may have been the last major Viking expedition left Sweden under a 20-year-old leader remembered as Ingvar the Far-Travelled, reportedly with 30 ships and hopes of finding riches and fame. The fleet sailed first to Gardarike, the Old Norse name for the Kingdom of Kyiv in modern Ukraine, before continuing toward Sarkland around the Caspian Sea. Battles and serious illness devastated the force during the journey home, and the Saga of Ingvar the Far-Travelled claims that only one ship returned to Sweden. Today, 26 recognized runestones across Sweden commemorate men who died during the expedition.

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