Jokers, Liars and Dumb Clucks

 
 

Who discovered America? A silly question, we would say today. The Native Americans did of course. But in the white man's world of a hundred years ago, this was not an acceptable answer. Most awarded the honor to Columbus, despite the fact that to his dying day Columbus insisted he had done no such thing. He had found a shortcut to Asia. Period. And there was no new continent in between. The Scandinavians knew Columbus was not the first white man to reach the continent, however. Their ancient sagas told a different story. That honor belonged to the bold Leiv Ericksson. It was a 19th century culture war that pitted Scandinavians against Italians and Irish, and Protestants against Catholics.


Illustration: Old postcard depicting a giant Kensington runestone.

 
 














The rune stone park, in Solem Township of Douglas County, Minnesota was created to commemorate the place where the runestone allegedly was found in 1898.




 
 
 
 
 

A Minnesota museum houses a stone inscribed with runes. It was discovered under the roots of a tree in a field near the town of Kensington, Minnesota, in 1898 by a local farmer. The runes – the ancient Scandinavian alphabet – tells a dramatic story, which translated into modern English, goes like this:



8 GOTHS AND 22 NORWEGIANS ON A

JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY FROM

VINLAND IN WEST WE

CAMPED BY 2 SKERRIES ONE

DAY'S JOURNEY FROM THIS STONE

WE WENT FISHING ONE DAY AFTER

WE CAME HOME FOUND 10 MEN RED

WITH BLOOD AND DEAD AVM

DELIVER US FROM EVIL

HAVE 10 MEN BY THE SEA TO LOOK

AFTER OUR SHIPS 14 DAY'S JOURNEY

FROM THIS ISLAND YEAR 1362



Jokers, Liars and Dumb Clucks: The Curious Case of the Kensington Rune Stone.


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The Kensington runestone alledgedly proves that white men had a presence in America long before Columbus, and even explored the interior of the continent. This is a look at the famous inscription, the people, and the times from the perspective of a writer and artist. Is it a masterpiece from the 14th century, the most important artifact in American history, or simply a modern forgery?





The Kensington runestone is the pride of Minnesota. Even the state's U-haul trucks carry its image.




 

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