In One Ear: Vikings in Oklahoma?
Published 12:15 am Thursday, December 1, 2022
- Ear: Runes
Astorian and marine journalist Peter Marsh sent the Ear an interesting BBC tidbit about Viking runes in Heavener, Oklahoma. Oklahoma historian Eric Standridge said it’s thought that the site was possibly accessed by Vikings who, while exploring, entered the Gulf of Mexico, then the Mississippi and Arkansas rivers and into Oklahoma between 900 and 1000 A.D.
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Hidden in a deep ravine, the Heavener Runestone – which is a pillar 12 feet tall, 10 feet wide and 16 inches thick – was not discovered until around 1838. Most scholars think the runes are of Scandinavian origin, and translate as a name. But Cryptanalyst Alf Monge deciphered the runes as a date, Nov. 11, 1012, which coincides with a 1008 Norse settlement on the Atlantic Coast. Most archaeologists think it’s some kind of land claim marker.
“I think that it’s entirely possible that Vikings made it into Oklahoma,” Standridge added, “but I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure if they did or not. However, with so much evidence, I find it hard to believe that it was an elaborate hoax.” (Photo: TravelOK.com)