ISBN 0-9682761-2-1

    In this semi-historical novel, the author explores the mysteries related to:

The disappearance of a prominent norse colony on Greenland

The origin of “The Kensington Rune Stone”

The Caucasian features of the "Mandan Tribe" of North American First Nations

Disappearance of the West Settlers

    For about 500 years before Columbus rediscovered America there were settlers of Icelandic and Norwegian origin on Greenland. They lived in two different settlements, the "Eastern" and the "Western". The western settlers disappeared without a trace some time around year 1350.

    An envoy from the Eastern Settlement, who went to find out how they were faring, did not find anybody there, "neither Christian nor Heathen", and no sign of bloodshed, nor plague or starvation. Some cattle were still grazing in the meadows.

    What happened to these settlers???

The Kensington Stone

     In 1898, a 90 lbs. stone slab was found near Kensington in Minnesota. The slab was entangled in the roots of a tree. On the stone, an inscription in the old norse alphabet called “Runes” was chiseled in. The inscription was dated 1362, the language was a somewhat confused old norse.

    The inscription was originally deemed by the experts to be fake, but later research has proven that it most likely is genuine.

    If it is...Who carved it???

The Mandan Tribe

    European explorers encountered this tribe for the first time after Columbus’ discoveries in 1735. At that time, the Mandans lived in the general area where the Kensington Stone was found.

    Many of the Mandans had, to great surprise to the explorers, features in hair, eye and skin colors which indicated much earlier contact with Caucasian people. The layout and fortification of their villages also pointed to prior contact with Europeans.

    What Europeans could they have had contact with???

    The mysteries mentioned above are considered solved and presented in this novel, which is written by Jan Furst, ^{Dr, Eng.h.c.}  of Bowen Island in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, and is published by Mobilewords Limited of Mobile, Newfoundland,Canada

    It is not unlikely that events, which in principle coincide with the narrative in the book, really have happened for the following reasons:

    For the Greenland settlers, who were descendants of the Vikings, travels as described in the book would be well within their capabilities. They often crossed the North Atlantic in their open boats, built like the Viking longships.

    They were familiar with travels by ship across continents. Routinely the Scandinavians traveled from the Baltic Sea in the North, to the Black and the Caspian Seas in South-East Europe, by sailing up the rivers from the Baltic to Central Russia or Ukraine, then pulling their ships over a short portage. And finally sailing down the rivers running out at their destination.

    The distance by this route from the Baltic to the Black Sea is some 800 miles, roughly the same as the distance from James Bay to Minnesota.

    Icelandic/Norwegian colonists on Greenland were the only Caucasian people known to have lived west of the Atlantic at times preceeding Columbus. They were consequently the only Europeans who could have carved the Kensington Stone. Even if the Stone should be a fake, the features of the Mandans may be enough to prove the theory presented in the book.

    Or, as an expert once expressed:

“The theory is not only possible. It is plausible.”