David M. Krueger
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816696918
- eISBN:
- 9781452952444
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816696918.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
Chapter One outlines the immediate aftermath of Ohman’s discovery of the Kensington Rune Stone in 1898 and also situates the rune stone in the history of Scandinavian immigrant fascination with ...
More
Chapter One outlines the immediate aftermath of Ohman’s discovery of the Kensington Rune Stone in 1898 and also situates the rune stone in the history of Scandinavian immigrant fascination with Pre-Columbian Vikings in North America. The runic myth anchored the immigrants in the American landscape while it maintained an emotional link the homeland.Less
Chapter One outlines the immediate aftermath of Ohman’s discovery of the Kensington Rune Stone in 1898 and also situates the rune stone in the history of Scandinavian immigrant fascination with Pre-Columbian Vikings in North America. The runic myth anchored the immigrants in the American landscape while it maintained an emotional link the homeland.
David M. Krueger
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816696918
- eISBN:
- 9781452952444
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816696918.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
Myths of the Rune Stone tells the story of how white Midwesterners created, adapted, and propagated a myth that Viking missionaries had visited their region and were “massacred” by local Indians ...
More
Myths of the Rune Stone tells the story of how white Midwesterners created, adapted, and propagated a myth that Viking missionaries had visited their region and were “massacred” by local Indians prior to the explorations of Christopher Columbus. Popular enthusiasm for this story developed as a local expression of American exceptionalism that both affirmed and challenged status quo assumptions about the formation of the United States as a nation and what it means to be a “real American.” The narrative of a primordial, white, Christian sacrifice staked an exclusive claim to the landscape, shaped collective identities, and generated social power for groups that viewed themselves as “under attack.” In the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, locals persisted in their belief in this Viking origin myth, using it advance their ethnic, racial, civic and religious goals. Although such myths are often thought to be the exclusive provenance of Scandinavian immigrants, Myths of the Rune Stone demonstrates their appeal to a diverse cross-section of residents, including Catholics and the descendants of Yankee pioneer settlers.Less
Myths of the Rune Stone tells the story of how white Midwesterners created, adapted, and propagated a myth that Viking missionaries had visited their region and were “massacred” by local Indians prior to the explorations of Christopher Columbus. Popular enthusiasm for this story developed as a local expression of American exceptionalism that both affirmed and challenged status quo assumptions about the formation of the United States as a nation and what it means to be a “real American.” The narrative of a primordial, white, Christian sacrifice staked an exclusive claim to the landscape, shaped collective identities, and generated social power for groups that viewed themselves as “under attack.” In the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, locals persisted in their belief in this Viking origin myth, using it advance their ethnic, racial, civic and religious goals. Although such myths are often thought to be the exclusive provenance of Scandinavian immigrants, Myths of the Rune Stone demonstrates their appeal to a diverse cross-section of residents, including Catholics and the descendants of Yankee pioneer settlers.
David M. Krueger
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816696918
- eISBN:
- 9781452952444
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816696918.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
Chapter Five places rune stone enthusiasm in the context of Cold War religious fervor. Starting in the 1950s, activists used the Viking myth to claim the U.S. had Christian origins. As academic ...
More
Chapter Five places rune stone enthusiasm in the context of Cold War religious fervor. Starting in the 1950s, activists used the Viking myth to claim the U.S. had Christian origins. As academic critiques of the artifact mounted, locals linked their defense of the stone with efforts to propagate the Christian faith.Less
Chapter Five places rune stone enthusiasm in the context of Cold War religious fervor. Starting in the 1950s, activists used the Viking myth to claim the U.S. had Christian origins. As academic critiques of the artifact mounted, locals linked their defense of the stone with efforts to propagate the Christian faith.
David M. Krueger
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816696918
- eISBN:
- 9781452952444
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816696918.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
Chapter Two demonstrates the appeal of Viking myths to Minnesotans who embraced the artifact as proof that the conquest of the American West was blessed by God. The rune stone is examined in light of ...
More
Chapter Two demonstrates the appeal of Viking myths to Minnesotans who embraced the artifact as proof that the conquest of the American West was blessed by God. The rune stone is examined in light of efforts to publicly memorialize deceased settlers following the Dakota War of 1862.Less
Chapter Two demonstrates the appeal of Viking myths to Minnesotans who embraced the artifact as proof that the conquest of the American West was blessed by God. The rune stone is examined in light of efforts to publicly memorialize deceased settlers following the Dakota War of 1862.
David M. Krueger
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816696918
- eISBN:
- 9781452952444
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816696918.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
The introduction describes the origins of the Kensington Rune Stone and the culture that was built up around it by its defenders. It discusses broadly the class, racial, and religious distinctions ...
More
The introduction describes the origins of the Kensington Rune Stone and the culture that was built up around it by its defenders. It discusses broadly the class, racial, and religious distinctions that influenced beliefs among Minnesotans regarding the rune stone.Less
The introduction describes the origins of the Kensington Rune Stone and the culture that was built up around it by its defenders. It discusses broadly the class, racial, and religious distinctions that influenced beliefs among Minnesotans regarding the rune stone.
David M. Krueger
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816696918
- eISBN:
- 9781452952444
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816696918.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
The conclusion considers the role of Viking origin myths for American culture in light of the revival of rune stone enthusiasm in the twenty-first century.
The conclusion considers the role of Viking origin myths for American culture in light of the revival of rune stone enthusiasm in the twenty-first century.
