Kensington Rune Stone: New Light On An Old Riddle (Hardcover)

~ Theodore C. Blegen (Author)
Key Phrases: sington stone, man red with blood, journey from this island, Olof Ohman, Minnesota Historical Society, Blegen Papers (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

“Few questions in American history,” writes Theodore C. Blegen, “have stirred so much curiosity or provoked such extended discussions as that of the authenticity of the runic inscription on a stone found near Kensington, Minnesota, in 1898.”

Swedish-American farmer Olof Ohman discovered the stone clasped in the roots of an aspen tree on a knoll above the surrounding swamp. His young son was the first to notice the strange letters chiseled into the rock face. Since then historians, geologists and runic scholars have entered the debate over the age and meaning of these carvings. Are they genuine 14th-century runes, evidence of a pre-Columbian Viking expedition to North America, or are they a clever 19th-century hoax? In this classic volume, Blegen untangles the circumstances surrounding the unearthing of the Kensington Rune Stone. Marshalling letters, affidavits, newspaper accounts and investigative reports, he lays out in authoritative detail the early history of this controversial artifact and investigates the background and character of Olof Ohman and other men involved in its discovery. He also describes the first cycles of investigation and dispute and devotes a chapter to the role of Hjalmar R. Holand, who acquired the stone in 1907 and was its chief defender until his death in 1963. Fourteen appendixes offer useful primary (?) source materials and supply English translations where needed. 

This lucid text, together with its footnotes and appendixes, remains a cornerstone for further investigation and discussion.

 

Theodore C. Blegen was a professor of history and dean of the Graduate School at the University of Minnesota for two decades. A former superintendent of the Minnesota Historical Society, he served many years as editor of its quarterly magazine, Minnesota History.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 223 pages
• Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press (January 15, 1968)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873510445
• ISBN-13: 978-0873510448
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,564,011 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The stone`s creators might turn in their graves, September 8, 1999

By A Customer

This book was a fun to read, though Blegen shows from the very beginning, that the issue is more complicated than everybody might think, by providing the reader with an insight how difficult the search for the truth can be. All participant`s accounts of discovery vary, all research results vary. Even if it was a hoax, its deeper purpose, the proof for the early arrival of North Europeans in America before Columbus, the truth has long been established for the creators to turn in their graves either by laughter of by joy: the finds of Lens aux Meadows, the Viking settlements in Newfoundland prove the early arrival of Northn Europeans in America!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sheerly fascinating, October 18, 2004

By	Schmerguls "schmerguls" (Sioux City, Ia USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

The Kensington Stone was found in 1898 three miles north of Kensington, Minn. That stone was in runic writing and said:

8 Swedes and 22 Norwegians on an expedition from Vinland westward. We had our camp by 2 rocky islets one day's journey north of this stone. We were out fishing one day. When we came home we found 10 men red with blood and dead. AVM save us from evil. We have 10 men from the sea to look after our ships, 14 days' journey from this island. Year 1362

This book pretty conclusively demonstates the inscription was made in the 19th century, even tho it is not by a rune specialist. But the book is a very, very fascinating story and I found reading the book most enjoyable.