The most notable and ‘dangerous’ Viking artifact in America, according to forensic geologist Scott Wolter, is the controversial Heavener Runestone, located in Oklahoma.
The Heavener Runestone
Heavener Runestone contains inscriptions that strangely resemble medieval Scandinavian runes and could indicate Viking exploration far beyond Greenland and Iceland, even as far as Oklahoma. This particular artifact has been labelled controversial due to challenging traditional narratives of European exploration of the ‘New World’. Wolter’s video documentary raises serious questions about controversial artifacts and evidence from pre-Columbian contact. Questions may also be asked about the credibility of the archaeologists who make decisions and offer opinions without subjecting their conclusions to peer review.
The video also examines whether the carved symbols on the runestone can be genuinely identified as Norse runes. The researchers compared four pieces of evidence: character shape, linguistic patterns, rune chronology, and Scandinavian inscriptions. After gathering the accumulated evidence and assessing authenticity, researchers remain undecided, unable to reach a scholarly consensus.
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Heavener Runestone State Park, OK, USA. (MARELBU/CC BY 3.0)
Inland Viking Travel Theory
The documentary explores hypothetical expedition routes that the Vikings could have taken. These include river systems, trade routes, and interior waterways. Vikings, such as Erik the Red used similar waterways when exploring Greenland, both man-made and natural, for trading, raiding, and exploring new lands. Their ships were uniquely made for long-distance voyages and could move far faster than the slow-moving Mediterranean galley that hugged the coast of the civilized world. (The Romans used the galleys to trade throughout their empire, ranging from modern-day France to Syria). If the rune stone theory holds, then Norse explorers could have penetrated far into the American continent centuries before Christopher Columbus in the late 15th century AD.
Early modern engraving depicting Erik the Red, the Viking Explorer (Arngrímur Jónsson/Public Domain)
Evidence Supporting the Theory
Ultimately, the pieces of evidence gathered as a result of the investigation into this ‘Viking runestone ' have supporters who argue that Vikings were able to get even farther into the continental U.S. than is historically thought. Proponents break the evidence down into these three areas: Vikings were skilled navigators; they had already travelled extensively across the North Atlantic, and finally, long-distance river travel was quite common throughout Scandinavia. So these same supporters allege that exploration beyond Newfoundland is not beyond the realm of possibility.
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Leif Erikson Sighting Land (Christian Krohg/Public Domain)
Similar Rune Stones
The video itself compares the inscription on the Heavener runestone with other alleged Norse inscriptions found in North America. Examples of similar runestones include the Kensington Runestone, found in Minnesota, and the Spirit Pond inscription found in Maine. However, the research into these similar runestones is inconclusive. The evidence found so far only points to the inscriptions on both Minnesota and Maine stones being considered controversial.
Evidence Against the Theory
A serious challenge facing researchers is that the Oklahoma runestone is a freestanding stone slab and part of a stone landscape and as such cannot be analyzed using controlled archaeological procedures. The scholars who have examined the available evidence lack four essential elements: associated artifacts of the runestone, confirmed Viking settlements, cultural layers that can be cited for research, and supporting material evidence. The absence of these details limits scholarly acceptance and causes further controversy.
Map of Viking Territories and Voyages (Bogdangiusca/CC BY-SA 3.0)
Absence of Supporting Settlements
The most troubling gap in research is the absence of confirmed Viking settlements or Viking artifacts that could provide evidence of Vikings living near the Heavener runestone location. Unlike the site of L’Anse aux Meadows, no confirmed Norse settlement has been found near this runestone. The absence of a settlement means no remaining buildings, no iron works, Norse tools, or housewares being found within the area. As a result, most archaeologists have remained cautious about the authenticity of the Oklahoma runestone.
What Most Archaeologists Believe Today
There is no mystery about the Vikings’ presence in North America. That question has already been answered due to extensive archaeological discoveries in Newfoundland. The still unresolved question is how far beyond the Atlantic coast Norse explorers were able to travel. The Heavener Runestone remains one of the most intriguing pieces of evidence cited by those who argue for a much larger Viking presence in North America. The confirmed mainstream scholarship continues to regard this case as still unproven due to insufficient archaeological confirmation.
Known Viking Settlements in North America 1010 AD (HistoryMaker18/CC BY-SA 4.0)
What Most Archaeologists Believe Today
Long before any Vikings arrived, indigenous peoples had occupied North America for thousands of years. Mainstream scholarship accepts Norse presence in Newfoundland and possibly parts of Arctic Canada, but no convincing archaeological evidence currently confirms Viking settlement or exploration as far inland as Oklahoma. L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland is deemed authentic.
In North America, currently accepted Norse activity is concentrated around Newfoundland and neighboring regions. But what can’t be proven is that the Vikings ever reached Oklahoma. The Heavener Runestone cannot be traced to the Medieval era; there is no evidence of a substantial Norse inland colony; and there are no other Viking artifacts associated with the Oklahoma stone within the landlocked American interior. One alternative theory is that Swedish colonists or railroad workers left the carvings as they moved west.
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Conclusion
Scott Wolter has played an integral role in investigating controversial artifacts in North America. By using geological techniques to study inscriptions and carved surfaces, he argues that some runestones may present evidence of Norse exploration beyond known Viking settlements. His work on the Heavener Runestone has kept debate alive. However, numerous historians have found his argument unconvincing. The theory lacks evidence, such as associated artifacts or supporting material. As a result, the historians who disagree with this argument remain skeptical. Though they consider Wolter’s geological observations interesting, his conclusions haven’t persuaded the majority of specialists in Viking archaeology, runology, or Medieval Scandinavian studies.
Vikings remain one of history’s most popular subjects. Many of them started as farmers or raiders. They adapted their skills to navigation and sailing, visiting many territories. They became merchants, craftsmen, explorers, poets, and lawmakers. Vikings history is told in two worlds. The first is the academic one, consisting of archaeology and written records, while the other is the world of legend, saga, monsters, and gods. The question of who reached the Americas ‘first’ still fascinates readers. The Heavener Runestone continues to generate extensive debate. New archaeological discoveries regularly renew interest in Norse exploration throughout time. The mysterious runestone combines archaeology, exploration, mystery, and historical controversy.
Top Image: Heavener Runestone, Runestone State Park Source: Marelbu/CC BY 3.0.
By Ramsey Hardin
References
Fitzhugh, William W., and Elisabeth I. Ward, eds. Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2000.
Jones, Gwyn. A History of the Vikings. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984.
Price, Neil. Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings. New York: Basic Books, 2020.
Wallace, Birgitta. Westward Vikings: The Saga of L'Anse aux Meadows. St. John's: Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, 2003.
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