Customer Reviews

Holy Grail in America

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

This revolutionary and fascinating documentary wanders all over the literal and figurative map, linking the Holy Grail, old Jerusalem, the Knights Templar, the FreeMasons, the Kensington Stone, Columbus, George Washington, the hooked X rune, the Newport tower, Cistercian monks, the Norsemen, sacred geometry, the money pit, and a host of other medieval, rune-laden tablets discovered all over North America. Perhaps too broad in scope, this DVD does offer solid history-shattering evidence that America was settled and claimed by Templars in 1362.
Theories on the reach of the Templars have flourished in recent years, thanks to Dan Brown and others, but never before has so much evidence been assembled to strongly suggest that the Templars, accompanied by a Cistercian monk (who new both Scandinavian and Templar runes), sailed their fleet of ships to America in 1362 to lay claim to the Mississippi headwaters as the New Jerusalem. Did they bring with them the Holy Grail and other treasures from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and bury them in the heartland of America in the 14th century?
This History Channel documentary gives strong evidence that the Templar fleet left Europe and sailed to America. They made their way on a 14-day journey from the East Coast through the Great Lakes to what is now Kensington, MN. Furthermore, even Columbus' father was a Templar who may have told him of the existence of the New World, still a secret in the 15th century known only to the Knights Templar. From Soloman's Temple to Minnesota?
Yes, I now believe they came to America in 1362!

This is a lengthy but absorbing documentary. It is obvious that a great deal of research and assembling of background material went into it. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the Knights Templar, Vikings, and voyages of discovery.

So much of what we think we know is changing SO fast. The History channel is playing it's part in that unfolding process admirably. Our perception of the world is dependent on integrating the information we have about it. Change the information, and the world is magically transformed. I thought for the greater part of my life that the West was all cowboys and indians and now I get hit with this! Reviewing history in the information age sure is a wild ride.

I particularly enjoyed this presentation being so comprehensive. It was like watching a good mystery movie with more than a few twists and turns along the way. Very entertaining and informative. Even if you just have a passing interest in the Templars this thought provoking presentation is well worth your time and money. I wouldn't say the same for 'The Rosslyn Frequency.' (NOT a History Channel offering!)- take a pass on that one.
I've found so many History Channel productions to be first rate, I rarely hesitate to give them a whirl. You won't be disappointed with 'Holy Grail in America.'

The History Channel's documentary entitled Holy Grail in America made for very interesting viewing. It takes a patchwork of evidence and constructs a narrative about the Knights Templar coming to America and leaving a land claim in Minnesota, runic inscriptions along the Atlantic Coast, and, most importantly, the Holy Grail in Nova Scotia. While this narrative is highly entertaining, it is based on frauds and willful misinterpretations of data both archaeological and linguistic, not to mention a blatant disregard for Occam's Razor. To the creator's credit, they do present the opinions of people who disagree with the theory, however, their voices are drowned out by both the numerous other talking heads who argue in favor of the theory and the voice of the narrator who seems to support the theory. Truly, Holy Grail in America is something that should be watched for amusement not educational value, as the ideas presented are ludicrous and the evidence marshaled in support of those ideas is laughable, frequently consisting of frauds and fakes.
While no one can dispute the fact that the Vikings made it to North America around 1000 CE, to say that they returned in the 14th century and that they made it into the interior of the continent is a bit of a stretch. The modern Scandinavians states were established by then, and had been since the end of the Viking era, but were busy fighting amongst themselves and against the German Hanseatic league to mount an expedition across the ocean. Furthermore, this is the period during which the Greenland settlements fell apart and started to fade away, making them unlikely stopping points for the proposed voyage that must have occurred if those making the journey as described by the Kensington Runestone. The eight Gotlanders mentioned on the stone were half the world away from home, and the Norwegians not that much less. Indeed, while a Viking incursion into the interior of the North American continent is not impossible - they did after all navigate the rivers of Central Europe and Asia, finding a viable trade route between the Baltic and the Black seas that was quite profitable, proving themselves capable of the river based exploration necessary for such an expedition - it is highly unlikely, especially in the 14th century. The only pre-Columbian European site in North America is L'Anse Aux Meadows, which is very curious if Scandinavians had made it back and explored all the way into the interior. The only other evidence the documentary provides for the presence of Scandinavians in the interior is a supposed drawing of a Longship in the Upper Peninsula(UP) of Michigan, which however, they could not date. Without the ability to date the drawing it is impossible to know how old it is. That fact, combined the fact that the population of the UP is largely of Scandinavian descent means that the drawing very well might simply be a drunken prank.
Indeed, the issue of dating brings me to the main voice, other than the narrator, present in the documentary, Scott Wolter. Presented in the first half as a "forensic geologist" and in the second half as a "geologist and author," Mr Wolter is presented as the main proponent of the theories espoused by the documentary. Whenever data is presented on rocks he is the one to present it, which makes sense, considering it is his area of expertise. However, he also tends to present the data on the various unique "runes" found on these rocks, despite that not being his area of expertise. Furthermore, as a general rule he cannot establish firm dates on any of the inscriptions that are presented, which makes me think that there is a good chance that they are forgeries, since their existence seems too weird or convenient to be true. His comments on the runes too strike me as odd, since he is not a runologist, and all the small, odd marks he sees in the runes could simply be mistakes or frauds, not evidence of some sort of global conspiracy. In addition, several of the other people presented as being in favor of the Templars coming to America have something to get from it, the best example of this being Niven Sinclair, the descendent of the man who lead the Templars to America. Should that be demonstrated to be true, his family would be famous around the world, and as a result he has no problem believing in the lackluster evidence behind the theory.
Indeed, however weak the evidence of the first half of the theory is, the second half is nearly entirely unsupported. The idea that the Templars came over to America after being persecuted in France and stripped of their lands and power by the Church has no backing in reality whatsoever. Using a single rune and a calender system, Mr Wolter came to the conclusion that the Templars actually left the Kensington Runestone, and that it is a disguised land claim, giving them control over much of North America. In addition to this land claim, they left numerous markers along the Atlantic Coast in New England, such as the Spirit Pond Runestones and the Newport Tower. Once again the runestones cannot be dated and were found by a man taking a walk, which seems far to coincidental and fortuitous to me - it is hard to believe that no one before him managed to notice that these rocks had markings and a map on them. Then there is the Newport Tower, which has been used as evidence of pre-Columbian visitors to the New World by just about every person to theorize about pre-Columbian contact. Unfortunately for all of them, the Newport Tower dates back to the 17th century, and the only artifacts found around it are from the Colonial Era, when if it was from some earlier time, there would be some other remains - no culture is so tidy as to not leave signs of construction. However, their most spectacularly unsupported claim is that the Holy Grail lies within the Money Pit on Oak Island in Nova Scotia. While the pit clearly was altered by human hands, there is no link to the Templars anywhere near it, so there is no reason to suppose that it was templars other than the fact that it seems convenient to the theory. Indeed, no logic is presented behind the action either. If one was in the possession of the Holy Grail, I see no reason why one would attempt to hide that fact, unless it is like the Grail from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, something I highly doubt. If the Templars had the Holy Grail, it seems much more likely that they would have used that as leverage to prevent themselves from being disbanded and destroyed, rather than secreting it away in a pit.
The biggest problem with most of these ideas is that common sense fails to enter into the equation. It is known that Portugal refused to persecute the Templars and that many of them fled there and established the Order of Christ. If Portugal is a willing refuge for the group, they have no reason to go off searching for some New World - that the remnants of the Templars migrated to Portugal is the simplest answer, and by Occam's Razor, probably the true one. The documentary even acknowledges that the Templars were in Portugal, saying that they were the ones who guided Columbus to the New World, which completely ignores the fact that Columbus used a significantly different route than that which would have been used by the Templars. Indeed, as entertaining as the idea of the Knights Templar coming to America might be, it is just a fantasy, upheld by willful misinterpretations of data and believing in fraudulent theories. Holy Grail in America takes these theories and attempts to make them seem valid, even including dissenting voices to make themselves seem fair. However the experts they use are suspect and other voices have personal reasons for believing, and what little data they have is not convincing in the least.

This is an excellent look at the history of the Knights Templar, the Holy Grail, and the involvement of the Sinclair family members. I purchased three of them - one for each of our sons. The Da Vinci Code provided a fictional account - using Rosslyn Chapel. This film provided insight to other possibilities. I highly recommend this interesting video.

We watched this on the history channel. It's fun to watch it again. There is so much information. Takes several times of watching it to absorb all the info.

How DOES a slab of rock with runes (the Kensington Runestone) get from Scandinavia to middle America? Who hauled it here and why? Intrigue, mystery, fact vs fiction - this documentary is packed full of twists and turns and provides powerful evidence that the trail to the Holy Grail was not, is not easily traveled. A masterful movie you won't want to miss!

I say this documentery on the history channel. I loved it. They finally have some prof and its believeable. Get this dvd if you believe in the thought that Columbus wasnt the first person to land on North America.

I just sat down to watch this with my family and was amazed from the first minute. I have always had a casual interest in the Knights Templar, but never have I seen anything like this! Even for someone who does not believe what is presented, just the history, and the work that went into digging up all the clues and artifacts, and connecting the dots is well worth that watch.
As for me personally, I am whole heartedly convinced after watching and conducting my own research. 10 of 10 stars!

After watching this dynamic documentary on the History Channel I couldn't wait to own it. It's full of mystery and intrigue. It's an excellent blend of history and adventure.