The Rune Stones of Spirit Pond, Maine

Abstract

The author reports on his official investigation of the inscription on three rune stones discovered in 1971 by Walter J. Elliott near Spirit Pond, Maine (USA). In determining the authenticity of the stones as Viking Age artifacts, three steps were involved: 1) transcription of the runes, 2) transliteration into the Latin alphabet, and 3) interpretation of the meaning of the inscriptions. The relationship of runes (as alphabetic symbols) to the history of Scandinavian languages is outlined; special problems of these inscriptions are discussed: 1) the runes are not those used in the eleventh or later centuries, 2) spelling and the use of "runic" numerals are inconsistent with runic and scribal practice, 3) the grammatical form is unrecognizable as Old Norse, 4) peculiarities relate directly to the Kensington Stone inscription in Minnesota. Conclusion: the inscriptions could not have been carved by Scandinavian Vikings in the Middle Ages, and probably date since 1932.