B.L. Freeborn © January 2023, Updated January 2025 (PDF version.)
Photo by Heironymous Rowe at Wikipedia.
The Shawnee Runestone was found in 1969 by three children in Shawnee, Oklahoma. It is on display at Robert S. Kerr Museum near Poteau, Oklahoma.
Arc on Kensington Stone
The shape of this stone alone suggests it might be genuine. It is round oblong and out of the right side there is an ark shaped chip. (Assuming of course that some expert did not chip it away to prove the age of the stone as has been done to the Spirit Pond Stones, the ‘In Camera’ stone (post) and the Kensington Stone which was bored through.)
The shape and ark suggests a Pagan / Baalist origin. The chipped ark shape is seen on the Kensington just below the first line.
The inscription is to the casual observer just five runes. There are two suggested readings: MLDOK and MIDOK.
The present decipherment began with MLDOK. Observe the words: DO ⇒ do, LOK ⇒ look, MK ⇒ make. From previous experience the appearance of ‘look’ suggests a shift cipher which was attempted but was fruitless. So looking again one sees the L might actually be an E or I. It is unusually connected to the first rune and the third. This forms three connected runes followed by two detached runes. This suggests 32 which implies 5.65².✓ This is significant since its validity lies substantially with certain numbers appearing. The reader is directed to Validating North American Runestones (see PDF list below) for a better understanding. In summary of this article, with respect to numbers, 56 and 792 must be present. They are typically found by studying the number values of the runes (gematria). The numbers 76, 51, 90 and 86 are often found as well. If it is of a Norse origin, or most northern people origin, (which means Viking to many) it should also have an Easter Calendar date imbedded (see Landsverk). The true rune master was able to encode his/her name as well. Can these five letters produce? Absolutely!
Alf Mongé felt the I was an E. His decipherment can be found in Syverson (pg. 94). He was primarily interested in dates so his decipherment did not comment on anything else for this stone.
If it is an I, then it is MIDOK. The small words I DO MaKe can be found. If an E, MEDOK, it is ME DO MaKe. If it is an E, another obvious word is formed that is very surprising. Runes are read from both right to left and left to right. Read it from the left and it says ME DO and from the right it says clearly CODE so that it reads: ME DO CODE.
A closer look is now required. Note the top of the O in the photo above is not fully connected. The photo in Syversen actually looks like a complete single rune. (This is probably why Mongé did not see the possibility this is two runes.) As two separate runes it is an X and ∧ which are G and K respectively. This makes the inscription: MEDGK – with K above the G.
This is now 5 runes with a 6th or 56.✓ This confirms this was to be found. KG ⇒ keg is another typical Baalist word. But there is more…
Note that the mysterious second letter is actually an H. It is a bindrune with the D. This makes the inscription: M(HE)DGK and K. Now the words HE ⇒ he, HEM ⇒ hem, and MED ⇒ made, are apparent. Looking further while including the O note KOME ⇒ come.
Usinf Elder Futhark number substitution (See charts at end.):
Only the final sum is good.✓
Then in MHDGK/K or 20,9,23,7,6,6 sum from H to end is 51.✓ This is the only 51 found.
As a bindrune HD does not have to appear in that order. It can just as easily be DH but the H is attached to the M. If all three can switch then perhaps it becomes DMHGK/K or numerically:
23,20,9,7,6/6. The three underlined form 7920 in reverse.✓ The sum then becomes 65 / 6 which is very similar to 56.5.✓
Since reversals have been noted, MHDOK sums to 82 or 28 in reverse. (28 x 2 = 56)✓
Mongé obtained the date 1024 from the inscription. The more likely date is 1124 based on the Long Inscription Stone from Spirit Pond, the Newport Tower and Vinland Map. His date of 1024 is easily explained. He used Day Letter (DL) 6 and Rati (Line #) 15. He saw the O (24) as the year. He did not see it as separate runes since in his image it looks joined.
The easily read MEDOK is 20,19,23,24,6. Here see line #19 which begins at year 1112 so ⇒years 1123 and 1124 with day letters 7 and 6.✓
Such is the hazard of pinpointing dates by this method. The final decision lies with the reader.
And yet there appears to be more… Notice that the MEH hides another rune. There is a U !! Now the Baalist riddle is complete with a hem, hidden cup, two daggers, X marks the spot and an ark all on a round stone. Surely this cannot have been created by any ‘modern’ person!
It then translates as:
A hem surrounds the hidden cup from the two daggers.
There are kegs where it came. At the arcs.
Do go 1124
From Wikipedia
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** For numeric background see:
**Freeborn, B.L., Validating North American Runic Inscriptions, noahsage.com, November 2022. PDF only.
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References
Gordon, Cyrus, Riddles in History, Crown Publishers, Inc. New York, 1974.
Landsverk, O.G., Runic Records of the Norsemen in America, Erik J. Friis, Publisher, Rushford, MN, 1974.
Landsverk, O.G., Ancient Norse Messages, Norseman Press, Glendale, California, 1969.
Mongé, Alf & O.G. Landsverk, Norse Medieval Cryptography in Runic Carving
Syversen, Earl, Norse Runic Inscriptions: with their Long-forgotten Cryptography, The Vine Hill Press, Sebastopol, California, 1979.
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Liestol, Aslak – Derogatory article of Alf Mongé’s work: http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/41/v41i01p034-042.pdf….
and…. Landsverk responded to these comments in Ancient Norse Messages pg. 126-129; and often in Runic Records of the Norsemen in America.
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