Tag Archive for viking

Is legendary Viking ‘sunstone’ real?

Photo: Researchers say this crystal found at the Alderney shipwreck near the Channel Islands could prove fabled Viking sunstones really did exist. (© Alderney Museum) (Fair Use)

From Fox News

 

By Megan Gannon

Published March 10, 2013

Ancient lore has suggested that the Vikings used special crystals to find their way under less-than-sunny skies. Though none of these so-called “sunstones” have ever been found at Viking archaeological sites, a crystal uncovered in a British shipwreck could help prove they did indeed exist.

The crystal was found amongst the wreckage of the Alderney, an Elizabethan warship that sank near the Channel Islands in 1592. The stone was discovered less than 3 feet from a pair of navigation dividers, suggesting it may have been kept with the ship’s other navigational tools, according to the research team headed by scientists at the University of Rennes in France. . . . Read Complete Report

 

Evidence of Viking Outpost Found in Canada (+) First Viking Site (w/videos)

By Heather Pringle

for National Geographic News

Published October 19, 2012

Sharpeners may be smoking guns in quest for New World’s second Viking site.

For the past 50 years—since the discovery of a thousand-year-old Viking way station in Newfoundland—archaeologists and amateur historians have combed North America’s east coast searching for traces of Viking visitors.

It has been a long, fruitless quest, littered with bizarre claims and embarrassing failures. But at a conference in Canada earlier this month, archaeologist Patricia Sutherland announced new evidence that points strongly to the discovery of the second Viking outpost ever discovered in the Americas. . . . Read Complete Report

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Retro: The First Viking Site

from Canada.com

Newfoundland Viking site remarkable

BY THE VANCOUVER SUN MARCH 17, 2008

EXCERPT

“The most famous Viking ruins can be seen at the former “Eastern Settlement” on the southwest tip of Greenland, near the present-day towns of Narsaq and Qassiarsuk. Here is found Brattahlid, the farm Eric the Red established in 986, as well as reconstructions of the bishop’s residence at Gardar and Hvalsey Church.” . . . Read Complete Report

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

from youtube

uploaded by treiberg17

L’Anse aux Meadows – The Vikings

Uploaded on Jul 2, 2011

Movie from the Viking village on the island of Newfoundland. Canadian
National Historic Site and UNESCO Site.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

from youtube

THE VINLAND MYSTERY

from nfb

Uploaded on Jan 29, 2010

 

Retro: Oak Island & the Money Pit

One of the strangest treasure story’s that I’m aware of is the story of Oak Island and the elusive money pit.  Sure, the exact spot of the so-called money pit is known. The problem is that due to an ingenious series of obstacles no one has ever been able to reach the treasure believed to be hidden at the bottom of the pit. If there is a bottom. Here’s a great site to virtually explore the famous “lost treasure” story. . . EDITOR

from the Mysterious & Unexplained

What lies at the bottom of the Money Pit?
Imagine yourself walking through the trees of a wooded island rumored to hide buried pirate treasure. Suddenly you come across a depression in the ground. It’s roughly circular and there’s a tree standing above it with a branch that has been cut and appears to have been used as a pulley. Your imagination is fired and hope soars. You run off to get your friends and digging equipment.

You and two friends return the next day, shovels in hand, ready to claim your prize. The digging is easy. The dirt loose. Only two feet down your shovel strikes rock. As you clear the dirt away you find a neatly arranged layer of flagstone covering a circular area 13 feet in diameter. You pry the stones out, expecting treasure but there’s only more dirt.

You begin again. Digging down 8 more feet with no luck. Suddenly you hit wood. This is it. You scrap away the dirt only to find a platform of oak logs covering the pit. You pull out the logs and resume your digging.

Ten more feet and still nothing. Finally, you strike wood. This MUST be it. As you clear the area you find another level of oak logs.

Now you know there’s something valuable here. Why else would anyone go to so much trouble?

Now 20 feet below the surface you heave to again. Another 10 feet. Another set of oak boards.

Disappointed, you and your friends decide that you can’t go any further alone. You leave but vow to return to retrieve your treasure.


Now imagine that it’s more than 200 years later. The pit has been explored to more than 150 feet. The treasure, if any, that was buried is still there, protected by an ingenious booby trap that floods the pit with sea water anytime someone gets close.

Group after group after group have tried to solve the riddle. Neither brute force nor technology have been able to overcome the problems. Six lives have been lost and millions of dollars spent trying to uncover the secrets of what has become known as the Money Pit. Still, no one knows what lies at the bottom, who built it or why. There are numerous theories but little proof.

This is the story of Oak Island, Nova Scotia, one the most frustrating and intriguing mysteries of all time.

Join us as we explore what is known and what is theorized about this enigma. Perhaps you will be able to find the one clue or come up with the right approach that will finally help crack this puzzle. . . . Go to site

from youtube