AVM Runestone

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AVM Runestone (short version)

The AVM Runestone, also called the Berg-AVM Runestone, is a hoax created in 1985 by university students who carved runes into a boulder near Kensington, Minnesota, not far from where the Kensington Runestone was found in 1898. In 2001, a stone-carving expert and a geologist father found the AVM Runestone and suggested it could prove early Viking or Norse settlement in Minnesota. The creators later said it was a hoax.

Discovery and investigation (2001)

In early 2001, stone-carving expert Janey Westin and her father, geologist Robert G. Johnson, were surveying stones near the Kensington Runestone site. On May 13, Westin found carved letters reading “AVM” on a pink-brown granite boulder about 110 cm long. They photographed it and, with geologist Scott Wolter, cleared some lichen to reveal more carvings: the top line resembled the Kensington Runestone, while a second line of three runes did not match, suggesting it was not genuine.

In June, the Runestone Museum formed a committee to investigate. The site was mapped, and the stone was removed on July 11. Archaeologists from Minnesota conducted a preliminary dig with nine test holes around the site and found no Norse evidence. They did recover a few Native American artifacts, including quartz flakes.

The discovery was announced in August 2001. Westin emphasized she had not carved the stone herself. Some researchers suggested the stone could have been a Norse grave marker. The stone was sent to a laboratory for detailed analysis. Skeptics argued that it was unlikely Vikings reached Minnesota in the 1360s.

Confession and explanation (November 2001)

On September 5, 2001, Kari Ellen Gade and Jana K. Schulman—two university professors—wrote that in 1985 they and three friends carved the AVM stone as a prank to test belief in mysterious artifacts. They explained that the second line was intended to read ALU (a pagan magical invocation) but the chisel slipped, producing the odd appearance.

On November 5, Scott Wolter accepted the confession, saying the authors deserved credit for coming forward. The confessors said they stopped because people were being asked to fund tests, and it wouldn’t be right to continue. They apologized for wasting time and money, and for presenting a fake as real.

Why the stone is regarded as a hoax

Scientific tests showed the carved surfaces contained pyrite iron, which would have oxidized if the carvings were ancient. Also, the site would likely have been underwater in 1363, making a Norse presence there unlikely. The AVM Runestone is now considered an archaeological forgery and part of local folklore.

See also

- Kensington Runestone and other runestone hoaxes
- Elbow Lake Runestone (another hoax in Minnesota)