Directory of Kensington Runestone Resources

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The Kensington Runestone is a slab of graywacke 31 inches high, 16 inches wide, and 6 inches thick (79 x 41 x 15 cm). It weighs 202 pounds (91.6 kg). The stone bears runic inscriptions on two sides, which tell the story of Goths and Norwegians who were exploring west from Vinland and came to "this island" in the year 1362. It was discovered in 1898 entangled in the roots of a tree on a farm near Kensington, Minnesota, by a farmer named Olaf Ohman, and has been controversial ever since. Once displayed by the Smithsonian Institution, the Kensington Runestone is now housed in the Runestone Museum in Alexandria, Minnesota.

Resources in This Category

• Authentic Medieval Elements in the Kensington Stone

  http://www.keithmassey.com/files/KensingtonStone-Massey.pdf
  Keith and Kevin Massey consider the inscription "AVM".

• Kensington Rune Stone Discussions

  http://www.globalserve.net/~yuku/tran/tkrs.htm
  Subtitled "Why Kensington Runestone Is Authentic." Yuri Kuchinsky's contributions to some rather heated arguments on Usenet.

• Kensington Runesmith

  http://www.sjolander.com/viking/rune/futhark/default.htm
  Peter Sjolander offers a working translation and an earlier attempt, both of which are very different from the usual translations. Includes rune graphics.

• Runestone debate shifts to Sweden

  http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2003/07/17_cunninghamg_runestone/
  Interview of geologist Scott Wolter, who will be taking the Kensington Runestone to a scientific conference in Sweden. 4.5 minutes, RealAudio. [Minnesota Public Radio]

• Runestone Museum

  http://www.runestonemuseum.org/
  Offers exhibits which demonstrate early pioneer life of the 1870s. Gift shop, membership information and special events. Alexandria.

• The Kensington Rune Stone

  http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/lhbum:@field(DOCID+@lit(lhbum0866hdiv26))
  Full text of the preliminary report to the Minnesota Historical Society by its Museum Committee, presented May 9, 1910. In HTML or page images, your choice. [Collections of the Minnesota Historical Society]

• The Kensington Runestone

  http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/199811/24_lehmanng_runestone-m/index.shtml
  RealAudio and transcript of MPR feature story. [Minnesota Public Radio]

• The Kensington Runestone: A Minnesota Mystery

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo2nHmGcV_U
  Video from the Minnesota Historical Society about this controversial part of Minnesota history. Just over 5 minutes.

• Vinland Center Rune Stone

  http://www.sjolander.com/viking/essays/runeston.htm
  A translation of the Kensington Rune Stone by Peter Sjolander. Contends that the stone marks the exact center of the northern hemisphere and longitudinal center of North America, and that therefore Redminland was all of North America.

Related Categories

• Home > Regional > North America > United States > Minnesota > Localities > K > Kensington
• Home > Society > History > By Time Period > Middle Ages > Vikings > Runes

 

Home > Regional > North America > United States > Minnesota > Society and Culture > Ethnicity > Scandinavian > Kensington Runestone

 

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