|
The Kensington RunestoneIn 1632, a group of Vikings visited what we now refer to as Kensington, Minnesota where there remains the famous, or infamous runestone - The Kensington Runestone. In the fall of 1898, a Swedish farmer found the large flat stone embedded in the roots of a tree on his farm. On it was found a long inscription on both the face and edge. The stone measures 31 inches long, 16 inches wide and 6 inches thick. It weighs 202 pounds. Even after the well known Norwegian scholar and historian, H.R. Holland, translated the stone, its authenticity is still in question. Among his followers though, Holland's translation is believed to be accepted here in the U.S. as well as abroad. It reads as follows: "8 Goths and 22 Norwegians on exploration journey from Yinland over the west we had camp by skerries one day's journey north from this stone we were and fished one day after we came home found 10 men red with blood and dead ave maria save us from evil"
In corroboration of the story told on the stone, we now know that around 1355 the then King of Sweden, King Magnus, sent out an expedition to go to Greenland to see to it that the Christian religion would not perish. The Kensington Runestone, in addition to other nearby found artifacts of the 14th century are on display at the Runestone Museum in Alexandria, Minnesota. |
Return to Top of Page
Home | What Do They Look Like? (39k)
Who is Freya? | Rune History & Mythology
Casting Your Runes | Five Rune Readings
Interpreting Each Rune (39k)
Order