Hey Valene,
I agree with both your points on Stave Churches and Rune Stones – I think the Rune Stones played a big part in this era claiming the misnomer of ‘Dark Ages.’ The Rune Stones are not only beautiful but also somewhat scary – the depiction of the Christ-shape being wrapped by ropes/snakes really gives a creepy feeling to this time period despite the underlying beauty. The fact that their gods were also displayed in less-than-ideal images (Odin hanging from a tree, hurt by a spear) can attest to this as well.