NorsePlay.

A friend who frequents the charmingly small but vibrant historical city of Bisbee, AZ, USA, spotted this very random runestone perched in front of a house: My friend was also good enough to leave my card & a note of inquiry at the house whose sidewalk this happens to be on and I was contacted by Ben, the property owner, who was kind enough to tell me what he happened to know about it, the information which I've integrated into the following investigation. [Note that I'm only working from two photos my friend took, and the by-text interview that Ben, it's current owner, gave me. At some point I know I'll be back in Bisbee and have a firsthand look at it myself, but felt it was more important to report this curiosity secondhand in a timely manner rather than wait on an indeterminate future road trip.] Objective Observations: Ben reports that it's a granite stone weighing "300 pounds" at ~26" tall with a ~13" diameter. The above photo shows thre...

After the city & cable company decided to totally spraypaint mark underground lines in my easement area and front yard (which is where I have my holy Vé with the sacred tree I leave offerings in front of), I decided to then spraypaint & adorn their semi-eyesore broadband podium box that's stood unused in my Vé since I bought the house well over a decade ago into a runestone of my own: Semi-modeled after the Karlevi Runestone (Rundata Öl 1) on the island of Öland, Sweden, my "runestone" like most has been "raised" as a property marker, a praise/boast of achievement, and in memory of one who's died /fallen. Bouncing my text through Valhyr's Old Norse translator, I then used their Short Twig Futhark converter on the ON for the following (with a bit of transliteration to keep proper names intact): These Runes are drawn by Guillermo Skald of NorsePlay Mapmaker of Midgard Owner of this Vé and Red Hof And Raised in Memory Of Buddy Guillermosson For a pa...

I know what you're thinking: a runestone in eastern Oklahoma?!? Yet if the Norse traveled east to the Black Sea, maybe even further into Asia via the spice roads, why not the same reach past Leif's Camp in Newfoundland and extending into America via coastal circumnavigation, rivers, and portages? [detail from park sign with proposed river route & location.] So I, as a proactive Investigative Norse Mythologist , used this legendary stickpin from my Map Of Midgard Project data to go take a firsthand look at the contested Heavener Runestone. [runes with me for scale.] Objective Observations: Out in small vale of the wilderlands of Heavener stands a 9' x 9' x 2' slab of sandstone, like a huge billboard facing west. From the collapsed layers of rock behind it, it seems to have detached and neatly planted itself upright in the earth. Whether that's incidental, or it was raised, or detached by force, and even possibly carved first then erected, one can't say,...