The Kensington Rune Stone - Norsemen Travelled to Minnesota in 1362

source: Coast to Coast

Geologist and researcher Scott Wolter discussed the discovery and significance of the Kensington Rune Stone. Found by a Minnesota farmer over a hundred years ago, the 202 lb. rock contained Runic (letters in the old Norse alphabet) inscriptions. Initially dismissed as a hoax, the authenticity of the stone has been debated over the years. It wasn't till the 1960s that it was discovered that the style of the Kensington Stone inscription matched those on stones on a remote island off Sweden, called Gotland, and this strengthened the case for authenticity, he noted.

Dated 1362, the inscription refers to a party of 30 who had traveled "far west of Vinland." [Note: "Vinland" was the name given to an area of North America by the Norseman Leif Eriksson, about the year A.D. 1001. Although still debated, "Vinland" could refer to modern-day Greenland or Newfoundland, Canada] This suggests that established history is wrong, and westerners made it to America, far before Columbus, Wolter said. He speculated that the travelers came to Minnesota possibly to take advantage of fur trade or to make land claims.

He further posited that the travelers could have been Knights Templar, who during this time frame were being persecuted and perhaps were motivated to seek out new lands. As a secret society, the Templars may have kept their voyages to the New World hushed up, he added. Wolter mentioned that other rune stones have been found in North America, and they will be the subject of his next book.


Report on the Kensington Rune Stone and Scott Wolter's research from KBJR-TV Duluth MN



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North American Rune Stones

Several rune stones have been found in the United States, most notably the Kensington Runestone in Minnesota and the Heavener Stone in Oklahoma. There is considerable debate over their age and validity. The "Kensington Runestone" is a slab of gray stone, measuring 36 inches long, 16 inches wide, and 6 inches thick. It contains runic writing along the face of the stone and along one edge. The stone was found by a Minnesota farmer named Olaf Ohman in November of 1898 while a digging up a poplar tree stump on the southern slope of a 50-foot high knoll. The stone was buried face down about six inches below the surface, with the tree roots wrapped around it. Mr. Ohman and his sons saw the runic letters but did not know what they were.

Unfortunately, the stone was not left in place, so they were unable to demonstrate its obvious age from the growth pattern of the tree. The stone was sent to the University of Minnesota and then to Chicago. It was was studied by runic scholars, who interpreted the inscription to be an account of Norse explorers in the 14th Century. Many authorities who have since examined the stone have claimed it a forgery, but others are equally certain of its authenticity.

It is known King Magnus of Sweden sent that a party to Greenland in 1355. They never returned. It is very possible that these men were from that party. The stone bears the date of 1362. The transliteration of the text is generally accepted as:

"Eight Goths and 22 Norwegians on a journey of exploration from Vinland very far west. We had camp by 2 rocky islands one day's journey north from this stone. We were out fishing one day. After we came home we found 10 men red with blood and dead. AVM [Ave Maria] save us from evil."

The inscription along the edge of the stone says:

"Have 10 men by the sea to look after our ships 14 days' journey from this island. Year 1362."

The stone is now in the Runestone Museum in Alexandria, Minnesota, near where the stone was found.

Update: At a 2000 conference in St. Paul, attended by archaeologists from about 20 states and three Canadian provinces, a Minnesota geologist and a Wisconsin chemist presented what they say is indisputable evidence that the runestone inscription is "real" and old, probably from the 1300s. Scott Wolter, president of American Petrographic services, is a licensed Minnesota geologist. He was instrumental in analyzing the stone's surfaces with Barry Hanson, a chemist and project manager for nonprofit archeology group, Archeology ITM, and Paul Weiblen, professor emeritus in geophysics at the University of Minnesota. Weiblen published a 45-page report on the mineralogy of the stone, and concludes that the carvings are significantly older than 1898, when it was discovered.


Related:

The History Channel special"Holy Grail in America" references the Kensington Rune Stone (and other Norse artifacts in North America, including the "Newport Tower" in Rhode Island), making the argument that the Knights Templar (travelling with the Norse) explored the Americas over 100 years prior to Columbus.

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