Original subtitles

Archaeologists make a remarkable discovery

high in Norway's Jotunheimen Mountains.

They discover knives

with their wooden handles still intact, a wooden whisk,

and a tinder box with fire starting materials still inside.

Who and what was anyone doing in such a remote,

treacherous part of the world for millennia?

In the Swiss Alps, a hiker makes a peculiar find.

At first, it looks like a cluster of broken branches

scattered across the frozen ground.

But as he gets closer, he realises it's not debris at all.

Here's where it gets interesting.

The wood isn't from the local forest. This is bamboo.

Bamboo doesn't grow anywhere near here

and it's never been used as a building material in the Alps.

So what exactly is this thing? And how did it get here?

An ancient site is unearthed by local villagers

in Peru's Andean mountains.

The exterior walls were built with intricate mosaics made of slate

and sandstone that features striking figures

and geometric patterns etched into the stone.

We know that the area was inhabited by the Chachapoya culture.

So what purpose did this site serve them

so high up in the mountains in this remote location?

These are the strangest mysteries

trapped in the coldest places.

Lost relics.

Forgotten treasures.

Dark secrets.

Locked in their icy tombs for ages.

But now, as ice melts around the world,

their stories will finally be exposed.

Roughly 200 miles northwest of Oslo, Norway,

the Lendbreen Ice Patch lies within the Jotunheimen Mountains.

Extending 80 miles

between the Gudbrands Valley to the east

and the Jostedals Glacier to the west of Norway,

the Jotunheimen Mountains are the highest range in northern Europe,

peaking at just over 8,000 feet.

Tucked high up in the remote mountain range is

the Lendbreen Ice Patch, and getting there isn't easy.

It's surrounded by rough, dangerous terrain made up of loose rocks,

jagged scree, solid bedrock, and of course, ice.

Weather conditions high in the mountains are unpredictable.

Freezing temperatures and high winds

can impact visibility even during the summer months.

But the area has recently experienced

some of the warmest temperatures on record,

largely due to climate change.

And as a result, the massive ice patch is shrinking.

In 2011, during an exceptionally warm summer,

a team of archaeologists are called in

when the melting ice exposes something unexpected.

The first thing they notice, believe it or not,

is horse dung scattered all over the ground,

but this isn't fresh faeces.

It appears to be centuries old

and has been perfectly preserved in the ice.

But that's not all, they discover knives with their wooden handles

still intact, a wooden whisk,

and a tinder box with fire-starting materials still inside.

Radiocarbon dating places most of the objects from the Viking Age,

around 1000 CE.

But interestingly, four pieces of a Bronze Age ski were discovered

scattered across around 800 feet of terrain.

That's almost 2,000 years before the Vikings.

Who and what was anyone doing in such a remote,

treacherous part of the world for millennia?

In 2013, researchers discovered evidence

of a high-altitude hunting complex

in the remote mountain site of Sandgrovskardet in Norway.

The remains of 40 stone-built hunting blinds were discovered.

These semicircular structures were used by hunters

to conceal themselves behind the walls

so they could shoot reindeer with bows and arrows.

Scaring sticks, which are hunting tools resembling small flags

that were used to guide reindeer toward waiting hunters,

were also discovered at Sandgrovskardet,

dating back to the Iron Age from 1000 to 300 BCE.

Reindeer flocked to ice patches in the summer

to seek a cool refuge from swarming mosquitoes and flies.

As a result, they were reliable hunting grounds for centuries.

It's possible that Lendbreen was also used this way.

There is clear evidence of hunting at Lendbreen.

Numerous arrowheads and crossbow bolts

were discovered that are typical of the Viking Age.

Some were perfectly preserved in the ice,

with their delicate stabilising feathers still intact.

And there was a strong economic incentive for reindeer hunting.

Pelts and antlers were crucial commodities in the Viking Age.

As researchers continue to make their way through the trove

of ancient artefacts, two curious finds stand out.

Among the artefacts is a 1700-year-old wool tunic.

But what's almost unheard of with items of this age

is that it's almost completely intact.

Additionally, a perfectly preserved wool-woven mitten

dating back to 1000 CE was discovered laying on the ground,

unearthed after years of preservation in the ice.

The ice patch sits in the Jotunheimen Mountain range,

which means "Home of the Giants".

And it's squarely within the mythological landscape

inhabited by the Jotnar, giant-like beings in Norse mythology

that represent the chaotic, wild forces of nature.

So maybe the artefacts found at Lenbreen weren't lost accidentally

but were intentionally left as offerings

to appease the powerful entities

believed to inhabit the mountains.

It seems counterintuitive

that someone would abandon things like gloves and a tunic

in such cold, unforgiving conditions.

But maybe they were a personal sacrifice to the mountain gods

from those who believed the threat posed by the Jotnar

outweighed even the brutal mountain climate.

Mount Inca Viejo, located in Salta, Argentina,

reaches a maximum height of about 14,000 feet

and was significant in the Inca Empire's ritual landscape.

In 2017, researchers at the site made a surprising discovery.

They found a staircase platform at the summit.

Three monoliths were also discovered on the structure,

resembling the standing stones

commonly used in Inca ceremonial rituals.

Artefacts suggest that this was a place

where precious offerings were made,

such as feathers, plants, and animals.

Some evidence at the site even suggests that human sacrifices,

or capacochas, were made.

It was all an attempt to maintain the cosmic balance

and appease the mountain gods.

In Andean culture, mountain sanctuaries

are home to spiritual beings known as "wakas".

Wakas are anything that holds power.

In this worldview, inanimate elements like rivers and rocks

are regarded as living beings and worthy of worship.

Mountains are especially powerful,

where the divine is embedded in the land,

similar to the Norse belief in their own mountain mythology.

So it's certainly possible that the items found at Lendbreen Pass

were sacrificial.

But the artefacts found in South America

are much more in line with traditional ritual items

,feathers, animals and plants,

while the mitten and tunic at Lendbreen Pass

are personal items,

which suggests that they were likely accidentally lost,

not offered up to the mountain gods as some kind of sacrifice.

As archaeologists continue to survey Lendbreen,

they notice a pattern of rock piles along the peak of the mountain.

The route up the perilous northern slope,

across the summit, and down the southern face,

is meticulously marked

by a series of more than 100 man-made stone piles, or cairns,

some reaching about six feet tall.

These would have served as vital route markers,

helping travellers find their way safely,

especially through treacherous conditions like snow, wind and fog.

Of the many artefacts found,

a large number of them are directly linked to travel and transport.

We're talking about the remains of pack horses,

hundreds of horseshoes,

fragments of sleds, and snowshoes.

So maybe Lendbreen was used

as a secretive black market trading route.

During the Viking Age and Medieval period,

trade was increasingly regulated

by powerful kings, nobles, and local magnates

who imposed taxes and duties at official trading towns and markets.

A top-secret mountain route would have been immensely valuable,

saving travellers and traders extra costs.

Also, the area is completely absent

from local oral and historical records,

suggesting it was never a part of

the official public network of routes.

But among the scattered debris of artefacts

near the top of the pass

are low stone walls,

forming the foundation of a high-altitude shelter.

This structure would have provided

a crucial refuge for weary travellers,

protecting them from the brutal elements.

The presence of a permanent structure seems to contradict

the need for secrecy.

In search of answers,

the research team follows the Lendbreen Trail west,

where they make a remarkable discovery,

not on the mountain itself, but in the valley below.

There's a series of low embankments

and impressions in the ground.

It's pretty hard to make out what they are because of the dense bush.

An auger was used to test the area,

and charcoal was detected in the ground.

Test excavations revealed that the embankments

were in fact house foundations,

and the charcoal is likely from hearths.

In total, 21 possible house ruins

that were occupied between 750 AD and 1150 were discovered,

providing a direct link between the mountain pass

and the lowland communities.

This was likely a settlement that existed to support

and profit from the constant flow of traffic

along the route.

Given the infrastructure that surrounds the pass,

it's unlikely it was a top-secret trade route,

but rather a forgotten highway

and probably saw its busiest period around 1000 CE,

which lines up with the economic growth

and increased movement during the Viking Age.

The artefacts discovered in the Lendbreen Pass

cover a span of roughly 1,800 years,

from the Iron Age around 300 BCE right through the Middle Ages.

Beginning in the 14th century,

there was a steep decline in the use of the pass.

And by 1500 CE, the route appears to have been

almost completely abandoned.

This collapse can be attributed to a bunch of different factors.

For one, the bubonic plague came to Norway in 1349,

and then that was followed by other pandemics

that caused an overall population drop of like 50%.

So, with all those people gone, you had farms that were being abandoned,

you had an overall economic hardship,

and then on top of that,

this period of climate change happens

that's called "The Little Ice Age".

That started in the early 14th century,

and that would have made high altitude travel

even more dangerous than it already is,

and a lot less appealing.

By the time the region's population and economy

began to bounce back,

things had changed; new routes were developed,

and the Lendbreen Pass was lost to history.

But its rise and fall is more than just a regional tale

of a forgotten mountain trading route.

It's a microcosm of Scandinavian history,

showing the social, economic and environmental health

of the entire region

over almost 2,000 years.

All in all, roughly a thousand artefacts

were unearthed from the Lendbreen Ice Patch,

frozen for centuries,

only to emerge to tell the tales of the people

who roamed these mountains centuries ago.

300 miles north of Lima, Peru,

perched high in the Andes Mountains,

where the land meets the sky, is Rio Abiseo National Park.

The region known as the "Amazonian Andes"

is about 60 miles from the frozen summit of Champara.

Meltwater from this icy peak flows directly through the part,

eventually feeding into the Amazon River system.

Temperatures at high altitudes are prone to extreme fluctuations,

with record lows in the mountains

dropping to nearly - 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

This site is 9,000 feet above sea level.

It's totally remote

and it's only accessible by a brutal multi-day hike.

But the thing is, you couldn't visit it even if you wanted to.

That park has been closed to visitors since 1986

to protect the natural environment and the archaeological artefacts.

When the park was still accessible,

an American explorer is guided by local villagers

from the nearby town of Pataz

to something they had discovered years earlier.

Hidden beneath the cold, dense foliage

high in the clouds, lies a series of intricate stone structures.

For years, local communities

kept the discovery a closely guarded secret.

But once it was revealed to an outsider, the news spread quickly,

catapulting the region to international fame.

The site is given the name "Gran Pajaten"

and eventually 26 buildings were discovered,

most of which are circular structures.

And these aren't just simple stone structures,

a high level of craftsmanship went into the principal buildings.

The exterior walls were built with intricate mosaics

made of slate and sandstone

that features striking figures,

often with wings and headdresses.

There are also geometric patterns etched into the stone.

We know the area was inhabited by the Chachapoya culture.

So what purpose did this site serve them

so high up in the mountains in this remote location?

The origins of the Chachapoya are uncertain,

but they are believed to have migrated centuries ago

from Ecuador's Amazon rainforest.

Around 800 CE, there were several small kingdoms

in the hilltops of the Lambayeque region

of what is now northeast Peru.

The Chachapoya were famous for their vibrant textiles,

weaving all these bright clothes with animal motifs.

And because that culture was seated

right between the Andes and the Amazon,

the Chachapoyas traded those textiles

with cultures in both of those regions.

In the 15th century, the Chachapoya

were under siege by the Inca Empire,

but refused to surrender,

fighting passionately from the hilltops

before their defeat in 1475.

Most Chachapoya people

scattered in distant parts of the Inca Empire

to avoid further rebellions. By the 17th century,

disease and continued harsh treatment by their overlords

ensured the Chachapoya language and culture disappeared.

To this day, very little is known

about the Chachapoyas ethnic group.

It's believed the Inca gave them their name

because there is no record of their original name or language.

However, evidence of their history

can be found throughout the mountains in the region.

Ninety miles northwest, high on a mountaintop,

30,000 feet above sea level,

is the walled Chachapoya site of Kuelap.

There are 421 ancient structures

dating from 900 to 1100 CE,

and the site is enclosed by massive stone walls

rising between 32 and 65 feet high.

There's a tower-like structure nearly 23 feet tall

where stone weapons were found inside.

There are also these narrow, funnel-like entrances

that look like they were designed to be choke points

for would-be attackers.

All of this suggests that Kuelap may have served a defensive purpose.

So maybe Gran Pajaten was used the same way.

There's no question:

the site's location served as a natural fortification

against external threats.

The landscape itself was a formidable barrier for any visitor,

but the artistry of the building suggests a significant ceremonial

or symbolic purpose beyond just defence.

Just over a hundred miles south

in the Andean highlands

is the ancient site of Chavin de Huantar.

This massive rectangular complex

includes a flat-top pyramid temple

surrounded by platforms and sunken plazas.

Inside, there are underground galleries of sculptures and carvings

designed to create powerful, transformative ritual experiences.

Built from 1200 to 750 BCE,

the temple was an important Andean pilgrimage centre

that attracted people from great distances.

Its religious imagery spread across the Andes,

creating a huge cultural influence.

Chavin de Huantar proves that a remote, non-military site

can become a centre of religious power and spiritual influence.

It's also possible Gran Pajaten was a religious sanctuary.

I mean, this place is full of ceremonial architecture

with all kinds of symbolic mosaics

that depict gods and other things.

So maybe pilgrims came to this mountaintop site

for spiritual reasons.

I mean, it's way up in the sky,

it's got this constant shroud of mist,

and the views are very dramatic.

It would be perfect for that.

But the infrastructure and large scale of the settlement

suggests it was much more than that.

And aside from the structures,

they also found agricultural terraces

where crops like maize were planted,

which probably means there was a significant

residential population that went well beyond

a purely religious sanctuary.

150 miles southwest on the coast of Peru is Chankillo.

The site remained a mystery to researchers for over a century.

Then, in 2007, there was a significant discovery.

Perched on a hilltop, 13 towers with observational platforms

on either side, surrounded by thick gated walls, were found.

At first it was theorised to be a fortification,

but there wasn't a source of water within the walls.

So it would have been difficult to stay here for a long period of time.

Also, there are quite a few entrances within the walls,

so it doesn't seem very protected or practical

if it was a fortification.

It was soon discovered that the placement of the towers on the hill

follows the arc of the shifting sun

as it rises and sets over the course of the year.

The sunrise during the summer solstice

aligns perfectly with the first tower to the north,

and during the winter solstice

it aligns perfectly with the tower furthest to the south.

It turned out Chankillo was a solar observatory circa 300 to 200 BCE,

serving as a massive calendar

that helped track the harvest and planting seasons.

The religions of the Andes were deeply intertwined with astronomy.

And the circular architecture of Gran Pajaten

suggests that maybe its design

was linked to the circular orbits of the stars and the planets.

The buildings on the site haven't been studied

for astronomical alignments, but it's worth checking

because we know that other cultures in that part of the world

were skilled astronomers

who built their settlements around the movements of the sun.

However, there's no direct archaeological evidence

that suggests Gran Pajaten was used as a solar observatory.

And the cloud cover and constant mist

would make it difficult to make constant observations.

Searching for answers,

researchers turned to LiDAR scanning,

to see through the forest canopy

and uncover a settlement much bigger than initially thought.

100 more buildings were discovered,

and the settlement covers almost 125 acres.

Cliffside tombs are present, confirming that the site

not only served the living

but also acted as a sacred necropolis.

The Chachapoya culture was known to inter the dead

in dramatic, hard-to-reach locations.

Most interestingly, there's also a network of roads

connecting Gran Pajaten with other Chachapoya sites.

It turns out the settlement wasn't as isolated as it is today,

but likely a well-connected hub in the region

that served as a cultural and administrative centre

for the Chachapoya civilisation.

Soil layer analysis showed that Gran Pajaten

was established in the 14th century

and remained the nexus of the Chachapoya world

for about two centuries.

Today, the site remains inaccessible

to most visitors and researchers,

but digital mapping and 3D rendering

have brought the ancient settlement to life,

offering a virtual window into its once-hidden world.

High in the Swiss Alps,

a narrow road winds between sheer cliffs and frozen peaks.

This is the Splugen Pass,

a rugged crossing nearly 7,000 feet above sea level

on the border between Switzerland and Italy.

It's a beautiful but treacherous place.

For much of the year the pass is buried under snow

and prone to sudden storms that can become extreme in minutes.

Still, it's been vital for centuries,

connecting the northern and southern sides of the Alps.

The Splugen Pass has been a key Alpine gateway since antiquity.

We see it in ancient Roman road lists dating back to 300 CE.

The Romans called it Cunus Aureus,

"The Golden Gateway",

and used it to move traders, travellers and armies

through their empire.

Glaciers have carved and shaped this landscape

since ancient times,

but now warming temperatures are making those glaciers recede

and sometimes what the ice releases is surprising.

In November 2024,

a local hiker is making his way along a trail

near the edge of the Schwarzhorn Glacier

when he notices something unusual in the ice.

At first, it looks like a cluster of broken branches

scattered across the frozen ground.

But as he gets closer, he realises it's not debris at all

and the shape comes into focus.

It has a narrow central beam about five feet long

with two large circular pieces on either side.

They look like wheels, each about three feet across.

It's handmade and surprisingly light.

It's too delicate to be a wagon

and it's not an old sled or a mountain stretcher.

And here's where it gets interesting.

The wood isn't from the local forest.

The colour is lighter and the texture is smoother.

This is bamboo. Bamboo doesn't grow anywhere near here

and it's never been used as a building material in the Alps.

What's also intriguing is how it's built.

There are no nails, bolts, or any metal fasteners.

Each joint is hand-lashed with cord,

and the wheels are made from

curved bamboo strips bent into circles,

supported by thin wooden spokes.

With its narrow frame and twin wheels,

it does look like a kind of cart;

light enough to handle alone,

but strong enough to carry a load.

The hiker reports the finds to the cantonal authorities,

who are just as baffled.

As they examine the cart and the surrounding area,

the mystery only deepens.

There's nothing else nearby:

no tools, no cargo, no signs of anyone's personal belongings.

It's just this bamboo cart lying by itself

in the middle of a rocky glacier pass.

So what exactly is this thing? And how did it get here?

Maybe it was a custom-built cart

used for smuggling across the Swiss-Italian border.

During the first half of the 20th century,

these mountains were full of smugglers.

I mean, there was the economic depression,

there were two world wars, things were tough.

So smugglers moved coffee, tobacco, even people,

through the high passes, often at night.

Smugglers here were incredibly resourceful;

they adapted whatever material they had,

like wood, rope, or even parts of sleds.

So a bamboo frame could have made sense

for someone who needed something strong

yet light enough to lift or hide quickly.

And there's a long history of ingenuity among smugglers here,

especially along the Swiss-Italian border.

About 40 miles to the south in Switzerland's Ticino,

researchers uncovered traces of the same ingenuity.

Local smugglers developed

a woven rucksack called a "bricolla",

made of willow and leather.

It was shaped to hug the back

and balance weight for long, steep climbs.

Its design allowed a person

to move heavy loads quickly and quietly

through mountain paths.

The bricolla became a lifeline,

proof that alpine smugglers were experts

at designing practical specialised equipment

that could mean the difference

between survival and getting caught.

Could the bamboo cart have come from that tradition?

It's possible, but it's unlikely.

The design doesn't exactly fit with smuggling.

A two-wheeled cart would have been pretty much

impossible to use on these narrow, rugged mountain trails.

And the material raises another problem;

locals built with pine or larch, not bamboo.

Even if bamboo was available, the more exotic plant

wouldn't have been the obvious choice

for dangerous mountain runs.

So if it wasn't built for smuggling, how did it end up here?

Without formal testing,

experts are left with what they can see.

Archaeologists have been studying photos

and examining the cart on site,

piecing information together based on its design and materials.

Bamboo became more common in the 19th century

when species from India and China

started appearing in European gardens.

So that rules out anything ancient.

The way the cart was built, its precise joinery,

the style of its wheels and the wear on the bamboo,

suggests early to mid-20th century craftsmanship.

So it was most likely made

sometime in the last hundred years.

Archaeologists began looking beyond the object itself

to the stories and events

that once unfolded across these mountains.

Some have suggested it might not be a cart at all.

Maybe it's connected to aviation in the early days of flight.

In the first decades of the 20th century,

aviation was exploding with experimentation

and bamboo was at the centre of it.

In 1906, aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont

flew his first bamboo-framed plane in Paris,

and it soared nearly 200 feet.

As aviation fever spread, enthusiasts across Europe

started building their own experimental gliders,

often from whatever materials they could find,

including bamboo.

In 1913, commercial plans for a tandem monoplane glider

were published that specifically called for a frame

made with bamboo and some spruce.

Building aircraft from bamboo wasn't just a fantasy any more.

This is now part of the mainstream for amateur aviation.

So could the bamboo cart found near the Schwarzhorn Glacier

have been part of an early glider?

It's doubtful. There's no trace of wreckage.

Even a crash in the ice would have left some sign.

There are also no records of a missing aviator or glider

in this area. So without any supporting evidence,

the aviation theory just doesn't hold up.

In 1840, just over 50 miles away

near the Unteraar Glacier in Switzerland,

scientist Louis Agassiz began the world's first detailed study

of how glaciers move and shape the land.

The fieldwork done by Agassiz

laid the foundation for modern glaciology.

His team built wooden huts directly on the ice

to measure its flow

and record temperature changes.

For more than a century, the Alps have drawn scientists

studying everything from glaciers to mountain weather.

Geologists, glaciologists, and other researchers

have turned these peaks into their natural laboratory.

So it's possible that the cart was part of a small,

privately funded scientific expedition.

Maybe a team studying the glaciers or Alpine plant life

in the early 20th century.

They could have needed specialised equipment

and designed the cart themselves.

Bamboo would make sense for that kind of fieldwork.

It's light, durable, and non-magnetic,

so it wouldn't interfere with compasses

or scientific instruments.

It's an intriguing idea, but there's

no record of any scientific expedition in this part of the Alps

that used bamboo gear.

Plus, it's kind of hard to imagine that a scientific team

would just abandon a custom-built cart.

About a year after the discovery,

reports surfaced of an anonymous letter

sent to a local publication.

The writer claimed responsibility,

saying the bamboo car wasn't a relic from the past,

but rather an art installation

placed deliberately in the landscape.

If true, the mystery may be solved.

But this account leaves room for doubt:

Why the anonymity?

If one were to go to the trouble of building this thing

and then hauling it out to a glacier in the mountains,

wouldn't you want credit for it?

Especially if you were a struggling artist trying to get noticed.

While it's a tidy explanation, I'm not sure I'd buy it,

but at this point we can't prove otherwise.

There are those seeking

a more compelling explanation for the bamboo discovery

on the Schwarzhorn Glacier,

grounded in the deep and often secret history

of the 20th-century Alps.

Several plausible theories remain,

each supported by a captivating trail of historical evidence.

460 miles northwest of Ottawa,

just above the shores of Lake Superior,

sits the small Canadian town of Wawa.

Wawa was a vital hub for indigenous peoples

for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans.

The Michipicoten River,

which flows into Lake Superior near the town,

served as a major trade and travel artery.

The region is part of the Canadian Shield,

where there are massive slabs of exposed ancient rock

that formed the geological core of North America

4.5 billion years ago.

Historically, the rugged terrain was mostly navigated by canoe,

following ancient routes that had been established over millennia.

Today, Wawa is pretty barren thanks to its long, bitter winters,

which bring heavy snowfall and frigid temperatures.

Extreme lows in the region have reached

an icy -70 degrees Fahrenheit.

But come summer, as the ice and snow melt,

tourists flock to the area to canoe the river.

Sometime after 2015, deep in the wilderness

just outside of Wawa, a tree falls.

As its roots tear from the ground, mounds of soil are unearthed,

revealing a surprise.

If a tree falls in the forest, does anybody hear it?

Well, whether people heard this one or not, it did fall.

And when it did, a massive slab of bedrock got exposed

and the face of that bedrock had an inscription on it.

The inscription contains a total of 255 symbols,

meticulously arranged in a rectangle,

measuring approximately four by five feet.

Adjacent to the text is a detailed illustration of a boat

that resembles a Viking-style longboat

that appears to be carrying passengers.

What's even more interesting is that,

in addition to the inscription and the ship carving,

there are "X" markings etched all around the boat.

Creating this would have been a massive undertaking.

The inscription is carved into Precambrian rock,

one of the hardest materials on Earth.

It would have taken an incredible amount of physical effort

and several days to complete.

So what is this thing, and who carved it?

Researchers are called in

to study the exposed bedrock deep in the dark forest.

With flashlights in hand, they get up close,

meticulously working to decipher the mysterious inscription.

The 255 characters are confirmed to be Nordic runes.

That is an ancient writing system

that was prominent in the Viking age.

Each symbol in that system not only represents a phonetic sound,

but also carries a deeper meaning.

So for example, the "Fehu" symbol represents the sound "f",

but it also symbolises wealth and prosperity.

Runestones, as the name suggests,

are large stones carved with runic inscriptions.

Thousands have been discovered across Scandinavia,

with the majority found in Sweden,

offering invaluable insights into the language, beliefs,

and social structures, of early Viking societies.

But why are centuries-old Scandinavian symbols

written on a rock in the middle of the Canadian wilderness?

The first possibility that comes to mind

is that the carving serves as a "cenotaph",

a memorial stone for the dead.

This was the primary function of Viking Age runestones.

In the 1820s, a caretaker at Gripsholm Castle

in Mariefred, Sweden, stumbled upon a now-famous runestone

that had been acting as a doorstep

in the cellar of the castle's eastern tower.

The Gripsholm Runestone measures over six feet high

and has a carving that consists of runic text on a snake,

which reads, "Tola had this stone raised

in memory of her son Haraldr, Ingvarr's brother.

They travelled valiantly far for gold,

and in the east gave food to the eagle.

They died in the south in Serkland."

So Tola was obviously Haraldr's mother,

and she seems to be the one who commissioned the stone.

Ingvarr is also mentioned.

He's a well-known Viking explorer and warrior,

sometimes called "Ingvar the Far-Travelled".

He did that travelling between 1036 and 1042.

Now, whether Haraldr and Ingvarr were brothers,

nobody actually knows.

But the reference to "giving food to the eagles,"

that's probably Viking-speak for

"We killed so many people on the field

that there were lots of human carcasses for the birds to eat."

The Gripsholm Runestone

is one of around 25 so-called "Ingvar stones".

They've been found around Sweden

commemorating those lost on this expedition.

By all accounts, the voyage was pretty much a disaster.

None of the stones mention any men returning alive.

So could the Wawa Runestone also be a memorial to the dead?

Further investigation of the stone lead researchers

to focus on the etching of the boat and the "X" marks that surround it.

There's a discrepancy between the number of passengers on the ship

and the number of "X" marks.

You got 16 people on the ship and only 14 X's.

So maybe there's a tragic event,

like a shipwreck on Lake Superior.

That's not hard to believe because those still happen today.

Then the 14 X's around the ship

could be grave markers for the people who died

and maybe they were left there by the two people who survived.

Before the advent of modern navigation systems

and weather forecasting,

the Great Lakes were notoriously dangerous.

Storms could blow through with terrifying speed,

and shipwrecks were quite common.

A group of immigrants travelling to the area via the Great Lakes

could have easily met with disaster,

but there could be another explanation for the stone,

one that involves deceit.

In 1898, the Kensington Runestone

was allegedly discovered in Minnesota

by a Swedish immigrant who was clearing his farmland.

It's basically a gravestone-sized slab of hard sandstone

called "Graywacke",

and Scandinavian runes are etched into it.

The inscription dates its creation to 1362.

So if it's authentic, it would have put Norse explorers

deep in North America

130 years before Columbus's arrival in the West Indies.

The discovery of the Kensington Runestone ignited a fascination

with "The Vikings of the Midwest".

Except some people weren't buying its authenticity.

The first clue was the condition of the rock;

Even though greywacke is a hard sandstone,

if it had been exposed to the elements for hundreds of years,

the inscribed areas would show weathering, but they didn't.

Also, experts analysed the runic writing in 1899

and they found that its language was questionable.

They found all kinds of discrepancies in the form

and in the vocabulary compared to known languages

of 14th-century Scandinavia.

So the academic consensus on that

is that the Kensington Runestone was a 19th-century forgery.

Is it possible that the Wawa Runestone

also falls into that category?

But what would be the motive to undertake such an elaborate hoax?

Carving that stone would have been time-consuming

and physically demanding, and for what?

What's the end game? It just doesn't add up.

As the search for answers

about this unique carving continues,

another remarkable discovery is made.

They begin to piece together the runic symbols,

slowly unravelling their meaning, one character at a time.

What starts with a jumble of ancient marks

soon begins to form recognisable words.

The stone contains a complete transcription

of the Lord's Prayer in Swedish

and they're able to pinpoint

the exact runic system that was used.

It's a 17th-century variation

of a system developed by a Swedish linguist

named Johannes Bureus, dating back to 1611.

The work was republished in the 19th century,

and the Wawa region was once the epicentre

of the 18th and 19th-century fur trade.

In fact, the Hudson's Bay Company's Lake Superior District

was headquartered at the mouth of the Michipicoten River,

near Wawa.

The Hudson's Bay Company was established in 1670

by a royal decree from King Charles II,

which granted the company monopoly rights

over roughly 1.5 million square miles of land,

stretching from northern Ontario across the prairies,

and from the Arctic down into what is now the northern United States.

The company's original goal was the pursuit of beaver pelts,

which were highly valued in Europe.

It established trading posts on the rivers

flowing into Hudson Bay and along the coast.

And, in the summer months, indigenous peoples

travelled to these posts to barter furs for manufactured goods

such as metal tools, guns, textiles, and foodstuffs.

In the 1800s, the Hudson's Bay Company

began recruiting employees from Norway, Denmark,

and Sweden, to work at trading posts in the Canadian wilderness.

This included the Michipicotan Post.

So there was a significant wave of Scandinavian immigration

to North America, with many using the Great Lakes

as a primary route into the interior.

Although the runestone is not as ancient

as the researchers first hoped,

it's a significant discovery.

The oldest dated runestone found in North America is from the 1880s,

and the Wawa Runestone is likely older than that.

It also contains the longest runic inscription found on the continent,

and is the only one in the world

to feature the full text of the Lord's Prayer.

So this theory doesn't fully explain the carved boat

and the "X" markings surrounding it.

That part remains a mystery, one we may never solve,

which only adds to the enduring intrigue of the Wawa Runestone.

The discovery of the Wawa Runestone

tells the story of a religious immigrant worker

who was isolated and missing his native country

and turned to a stone

for a reminder of the place he once called home.

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