I invite you to listen to the song I have written about the Kensington Runestone. You are most likely familiar with the background in connection to the stone. Were Scandinavian explorers here in the 14th Century? The stone gives the year as 1362.
A real artifact or an elaborate hoax? That is the question. My song is called "Writing on the Stone." It was recorded at the Nashville TN studio of Frank Michels. The song was put online on YouTube by Brent Gulsvig of Gulsvig Productions of Starbuck. If you have any media transfer work to be done, call on the Gulsvigs.
My songwriting is an amateur pursuit. My late father was a professional choral composer. There is a fund at UMM named for my parents, Ralph and Martha, both of whom are in heaven now. I thought about them over the Memorial Day weekend as I visited Summit Cemetery with so many other people. Such peacefulness, tranquility and solace. The UMM fund benefits music.
Here is the link for my song "Writing on the Stone." Thanks and God bless.
As a newspaper writer I found the subject of the Runestone difficult to deal with. Simply put, it was because of the intransigence of the "two sides." I cannot blame people for examining further to try to support claims of authenticity. Some well-credentialed scholars have done exactly that.
From the other side is the assumption that surely the stone is a fake. The "fake" argument seems to stare us in the face at times, as if we need not bother looking any further. Once we rest on that side of the argument, we'll feel troubled as some new scholar comes forward with an analysis that strongly supports the original story. I have monitored all these developments.
My earliest writing for the newspaper leaned toward the authenticity argument, whereupon I could get some quite disrespectful feedback. But it seemed like a rather innocent subject. Nothing great is at stake with the matter, nothing that could really hurt anyone. Except for descendants of the Pilgrims? Oh, come on.
Former UMM administrator Bettina Blake had an old professional colleague with the best of credentials write a book with a title that trumpeted the stone's authenticity! I covered his appearance at UMM to share about his conclusions.
Meanwhile there was a UMM professor who had a cute little prop that was designed to snarkily dismiss claims of genuineness. I don't think that would pass muster with UMM today. If a professor sought to be skeptical based on a sober and scientific angle, well that's fine. But a professor today would have to be more respectful. UMM seeks a collaborative relationship with Alexandria, a community which has been attached to its "Big Ole" statue.
More recently the argument has emerged that the purported explorers here were post-pagan. Thus they were not "Vikings." So, change the name of the football team? Just kidding.
So, what is my perspective now? I feel that if the stone were a hoax, it would have to be obvious in a truly incontrovertible way. Which it is not. I therefore assert once again that I feel the stone is genuine. I hope you enjoy the song.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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| (image from minnpost) |
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