Historical Footprints

 In the forests near Wawa, Ontario, Canada, a remarkable discovery emerged when a fallen tree revealed a carved rock slab measuring about 1.2 by 1.5 meters.

The slab bears roughly 255 runic characters that form the full Swedish text of the Christian Lord’s Prayer an extraordinary feature written entirely in runes instead of the Latin alphabet.

Alongside the inscription are carvings of a boat carrying 16 figures and 14 mysterious X-shaped marks, whose meanings remain uncertain. Runologist Henrik Williams of Uppsala University identified the text as a 17th-century Swedish version, yet the stone itself likely dates to the early or mid-1800s, possibly carved by a Swedish labourer or missionary linked to the Hudson’s Bay Company.

This is the longest known runic inscription in North America, offering rare insight into immigrant spirituality and the endurance of Norse cultural symbols in remote Canada.

Historical Footprints