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I wanna discuss this tomorrow. Hoax or real? If true it would suggest that Scandinavians discovered America in 1362 or so, and....they were Templars.

I don't doubt the existence of the Kensington Runestone. The speculation surrounding it's age and it's creators is much less reliable than the fact that the stone marker actually exists. Speaking of Runes, I am more curious about what became of einhverfr. He hasn't been around lately.

Working on the next epic, no doubt :) He does take long breaks doesn't he ?

Since the Vikings were the most amazing sailors not an impossibility. There seams little doubt that others had visited your shores before Columbus

We all originated 'out of Africa' anyway didn't we ?

Maybe he just became weary of being accused of horse abuse?

If we did, indeed, all come 'out of Africa', then it was most likely at a time when Africa was not the land-mass that we now call Africa. There is archaeological evidence from spear-point design that indicates that America was visited from both the East and the West long prior to Columbus' voyages.

Additionally, the KRS idea appeals to the neo-Nazi types (like David Duke) who like to think that "good, decent, blonde Aryans discovered America, not some Eye-tie"

Like much of Patrick's Fortean stuff....little evidence and likely not true.

We already know for certain - the settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland - that the Vikings were on North American soil around 1000 A.D. - way before Spanish or English explorers landed (and note I'm not saying anything about the Chinese :)). However, we also know, as wiki states (my emphasis) that:

No non-Native American artifacts dating from before 1492 have been recovered under controlled, professionally conducted archaeological investigations at any great distance from the east coast of the continent; and with current techniques, the dating of any holes cut into rocks in the region is as uncertain as the dating of the Kensington stone itself.

So - the Kensington stone is interesting, but most likely a hoax. Not definitely - and it wouldn't shock me if Viking artifacts were found inland (they certainly were intrepid exploreres) - but probably.

It certainly didn't help that the guy who found the stone took it upon himself to 'clean up' the inscriptions.

I have encountered some things on that but the evidence is not conclusive that the runestone is either real or hoax. There is considerable evidence elsewhere to show that the Norse visited Vinland (North America) prior to the official "discovery" of America or the others and considering some of the things the Templars were into it would not be inconcievable that they might have managed to either ally themseslves or at least hitch a ride with other Norsemen when they came here. I am not convinced either way about the Kensington Runestone but there is ample evidence as to the Norsemen having discovered America before Columbus (who incidentally never actually made it to the continent but rather Caribbean Islands)

There's more!

Norman's Land (The Leif Eriksson runestone?} :

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Newport Tower (Rhode Island):

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Dighton Rock (Massachusetts):

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There's so very much that we don't know, eth? Or is it that they don't want us to know?

Never surrender!!!

Hey, kids!!! Check me out, I'm vacatitioning in Havelock's post...I'm eating his food and wearing his socks. And just so you know it's really me, NS is an idiot - ein's probably working, dingdong! -happy xxoo

(Yes, it really is her.)

Cheers.

"There's more!"

Knight & Lomas, in Hiram's Key, follow the Masonic/Illuminati legends of "La'merica," the Star of the West, and claim that the Templars' fleet formed up in Scotland after Louis the Fair and whatever Pope it was broke the order in France. The fleet then went west under the Masonic symbol of skull and bones. One of the mystic rocks purports to show a Templar in battle dress.

As for transatlantic crossings, saw a PBS some years back that considered that American flint work was much more similar to European Solutrean than to northeast Siberian microliths, so suggests that the relatively easy current driven sea route west along the ice packs happened about 20,000 years ago. Makes sense to me, an Eskimo level technology of sea faring would work fine for the hop from Scotland to Iceland to Greenland to Canada while leaving little evidence beyond finely worked flints.

Ah yes, I'd forgotten about the Mystic stone carving. So... Quite right, the mystery is deeper yet!

I'm not sure how much we can draw from a similarity in stone tools, but it certainly seems plausible that prehistoric Northern Europeans might have crossed to North America at one time or another. So there are some mysteries still to be illuminated, I'm sure.

Whether that means Vikings made it to Minnesota.... Color me somewhat more skeptical.

Cheers.

Whether that means Vikings made it to Minnesota.... Color me somewhat more skeptical.

What? You've never heard of the Minnesota Vikings???

Primate:

Whether that means Vikings made it to Minnesota.... Color me somewhat more skeptical.

What? You've never heard of the Minnesota Vikings???

I honestly think Patrick would use that as evidence to support his claim.....LOL