The Kensington Runestone

Posted by Siddeley on June 22, 2009

A few years back my hubby and I took a trip to Minnesota.  I had planned quite the itinerary – Mall of America, trip to Fargo, brief stop in Alexandria to see a small historical museum, then back to St. Paul to stay at a Casino for the night.  But the brief stop in Alexandria turned into a day long event as we learned more about the Kensington Runestone recovered nearby in 1898.

The story is that a Minnesota farmer named Olaf Ohman unearthed the Runetone while digging up a tree stump.  Roots were wrapped around it and could have given experts a very good indication of how young the stone wasnt.  But Mr Ohman removed it and turned the stone over to the University of Minnesota.  A debate over its authenticity began.

The date on the stone is 1362 and here is what has been translated:

“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.”

Could the Norwegians have been the first white-man the Native Americans actually met? I learned that King Magnus of Sweden sent a party to Greenland in 1355 that never returned home.  Was this Runestone a plea to not be forgotten?  A “We are here” wherever here was?  Obviously they knew it wasnt Greenland.  Being great sailors they may have thought they would find their way back to the ocean again by traveling through the great lakes.  But instead of being emptied into a body of saltwater they found themselves running into land at all turns.  Maybe they were all killed by the group that killed the 10 men already?  Maybe they were made slaves of a tribe and this is the explanation for the “blond” Indians that were seen by the first Spanish Explorers.

Looking at the stone was mesmerizing.  Concocting stories in my mind of all the possibilities and piecing this into the timeline I know.  I found myself examining the writing as if I were an expert who could decide that the Runestone was authentic.  I was lost in my thoughts for a while and as I would start to walk away I felt like it was too soon.

There is an update on http://www.sunnyway.com/runes/americanstones.html:

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.

If you have the chance to see it in person dont pass it up.  It reminds you of the fact that history involves so many souls and so many stories.