This is beautiful Heavener Runestone Park, home of a large sandstone with Scandinavian language markings believed to be created by Vikings. The 55-acre park is located on Poteau Mountain in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, northeast of the city of Heavener, Oklahoma. Visitors can access the park from State Highway 59 and US Highway 270.
As I learned when I posted my video of this place on TikTok with the title “Did you know Oklahoma has centuries-old Viking runes?”, the timing and source of the markings are up for much debate. Some believe they were written by Vikings between 600 and 800 AD, while others think the markings are a hoax and that the carvings were made by a Scandinavian immigrant around the time they were discovered in the 1830s.
The Oklahoma Historical Society provides several studies on the matter on their site. In 1923, the Smithsonian researched the markings, and identified them as Scandinavian runes. The writing was interpreted as GNOMEDAL, which was translated as “gnome” and “dal,” meaning sundial valley or monument valley. However, in 1986, Dr. Richard Nielson from the University of Denmark determined that the translation should be GLOMEDAL, or “Glome’s Valley,” which would indicate the writing was a land claim more than a place marker. Another suggestion is that the markings represent the date November 11, 1012.
The idea that the stones are Viking runes is appealing to many, but linguists have their doubts that the markings are Viking in nature due to differences in the Oklahoma markings and that in other Viking literature that has been studied. However this doesn’t stop participants from celebrating the lore every year at the Heavener Viking Festival.
Despite all of the research, the exact source of the stones is still a mystery. However one thing is for sure, Heaver Runestone Park is a wonderful area to visit to walk on the trails, see a seasonal waterfall, and to ponder the mystery.
