Latest news with #Primrose
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Archaeologists Found a Slab in the Middle of Nowhere—With the Lord's Prayer Carved in It
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: A rock carving discovered in the Ontario backcountry started a search for the meaning and history of the site in 2019. The carving features what experts now believe to be an 1800s runic interpretation of the Christian Lord's Prayer. The find may be traceable to an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company. In 2018, the toppling of a tree near the township of Wawa, Ontario, revealed a rectangular piece of bedrock (about four feet by nearly five feet) etched with 225 symbols alongside a depiction of a Viking longboat. Eventually, a local historian came across the odd finding—now known as the Wawa Runestone—and reported the find to the Ontario Centre for Archaeological Education (OCARE). You can see the stone here. The team at OCARE, led by archaeologist Ryan Primrose, decided to keep the stone concealed from the public until they could gather more details about its origin. And now, they're finally talking about the object for the first time. 'Well, it's certainly among the least expected finds that I think I've encountered during my career,' Primrose told the CBC. 'It's absolutely fascinating.' Initial research, according to an OCARE statement, showed that the carving was likely written in Futhark characters—a runic script once used in northern Europe and Scandinavia. This led some experts to think that the carving must have been completed as far back as the Viking era, especially considering the second carving of a boat (which resembles a Viking longboat, contains about 16 occupants, and is flanked by several crosses or stars) found adjacent to the script. Primrose, it turns out, was wise to hold off on publicly announcing it as a Viking-era find. In 2019, he brought in Sweden-based expert Henrik Williams, professor emeritus at Uppsala University, to consult on the site. Williams confirmed that the inscription was runic, but disagreed that it was Viking in nature. Williams said that the runic writing was a version of the Christian Lord's Prayer, which had been carved in Futhark. 'The text conforms to the Swedish version of the Lord's Prayer used from the 16th century and is written using a variation of the runic translation developed by Johannes Bureus in the early 17th century.' OCARE stated. 'It must have taken days and days of work,' Williams told the CBC. 'They are really deeply carved into the rock. Someone must have spent a couple of weeks carving this thing.' While tough to pinpoint, OCARE researchers believe the inscription itself dates to the 1800s. Williams believes the creator of the carving had to come from Sweden, and as Primrose researched the history of the area, he found that the Hudson's Bay Company hired Swedes in the 1800s to work at remote Canadian wilderness trading posts—including the Michipicoten post, located not far from the Wawa carving, the CBC reported. Whether this was a popular religious site—the inscription was found under soil after the tree fell, and no other artifacts have been found nearby—or the work of a single person toiling alone is still a question. But with this announcement, many other questions have been answered. 'Canada now has a total of 11 objects claimed to bear runes but only five in fact do so, and three of those constitute modern commemorative inscriptions,' Williams wrote in an OCARE report. 'The Wawa stone is Ontario's first with actual runes, the longest runic inscription of any on the North American continent […] and the only one in the world reproducing the Lord's Prayer.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Daily Record
15 hours ago
- Daily Record
Victims of illegal puppy trader open up on heartbreak of desperate attempt to save dogs
New owners fell in love with defenceless pups and were immediately faced with a desperate fight for life - and huge vet bills. Victims of illegal puppy trader Julie Taylor have told how they battled to save the lives of their tiny dogs. The dog owners have spoken out after the SSPCA's Special Investigations Unit busted Taylor, who was running an unlicensed 'puppy shop' from a filthy home in Ayrshire. The Daily Record told yesterday how Taylor was branded 'cruel and abhorrent' and banned from keeping animals for ten years as she was nailed in court. We told how one dog died, leading the new owner - an off duty police officer - to call in the animal charity's SIU to bring Taylor to justice. Another dog lover to have a nightmare ordeal due to the appalling conditions Taylor was subjecting pups to was Gillian Linton, 35, from Clydebank. The civil servant told how she instantly fell in love with a tiny Spaniel she called Primrose. She ended up paying more than £2,000 in vet bills after forming a powerful bond with the tiny pup, which almost died but eventually pulled through. Gillian, who bought Primrose at Taylor's home in Stewarton on Christmas Eve, 2023, said: 'We were meant to be getting a Blenheim Spaniel but the pup turned out to be a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. 'When she was presented to us she was stinking and her tummy was distended. She was in a bad way. Julie said she had just been fed but alarm bells were ringing loudly. 'The wee dog dropped flat on the floor and started crawling along in a strange way. She was lost and distressed. 'I picked her up and she snuggled into my neck and I was probably committed to her from that point, with no way of going back because I just couldn't leave her there. 'I had to rescue her - and I can't help but wonder how many other dog lovers felt the same way with other pups. Gillian transferred £795 to Taylor on the spot. She said: 'I asked to use the bathroom upstairs and I could see the house wasn't normal, with big piles of stuff in rooms and flooring had been ripped up. I guessed it had just been transformed by the puppy farm trade that was going on. 'As soon as we got Primrose home she started to cough and she would stop breathing for a but then produce a hacking cough that was awful to watch. 'She was really ill and we thought she was going to die.' Gillian said she had to take Primrose to the vet on New Year's Day because she thought the pup would die otherwise. She said: 'She was full of worms and her ears were infected and foul smelling. She was a poor wee soul. ' Gillian added: 'Primrose is 18 months old and really good now - but that's a miracle after the start she had in life. 'To think that people have been mistreating defenceless pups so badly for quick cash makes me feel very sad and it's good that the SSPCA shut these people down.' Eleanor Sullivan, 66, also said she immediately felt a duty to rescue the Cavapoo pup - which she called Jax - due to its pitiful condition when shown it. Former school worker Eleanor, from Cumbernauld, said: 'Jax was a bit of a sorry state, with terrible ear mites and a cough but I had to rescue this defenceless animal. 'I had a dog cage at the bottom of my bed but when I locked the door the pup went mad, throwing himself at the cage door.' Eleanor said the dog looked 'lost' and behaved like it had never interacted with humans before. She said: 'It was shaking and looked terrified. It was obvious from the start that the pups weren't right and Jax looked a lot younger than the eight weeks Julie said she was. 'I also discovered that different adverts were appearing online, supposedly selling the same dogs but with different phone numbers. I think it was just a conveyor belt of pups. 'These people rely on people like me forming an instant attachment. They shouldn't be allowed to have anything to do with animals.' The Record told yesterday how PC Elaine McArthur's cockapoo pup Marley fought for life then died of deadly parvo virus, three days after leaving Taylor's home. Distraught mum Elaine turned the tables on Taylor by calling in SSPCA investigators, who raided the trader's home and shut the operation down. Taylor, 41, was caught red handed with 16 terrified dogs, of various breeds, being held in a filthy toilet and covered in dog waste. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Taylor admitted cruelty and operating without a licence, which saw her banned from keeping dogs for 10 years at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court. Taylor's defence lawyer Graeme Cunningham said he could not deny that she was the front of an 'abhorrent' puppy farm operation, where dogs were badly treated then sold on for large amounts of cash. Taylor was also given a Community Payback Order to include unpaid work of 240 hours. She will also face a Proceeds of Crime investigation and could have thousands of pounds clawed back.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Runes found in Canadian wilderness baffle archaeologists
Archaeologists remain baffled by a surprising, seemingly ahistorical find located deep in the Canadian wilderness. But after years of research, analysis, and historical corroboration, an interdisciplinary team has finally made their findings available to the public. Tucked away in a forest approximately 465 miles northwest of Ottawa, a massive slab of bedrock features a hand-etched rendition of the full Lord's Prayer. But the religious text isn't inscribed in French or English—it's composed of over 250 symbols from the oldest known runic alphabet. The perplexing discovery happened completely by chance, according to the CBC. Hidden for centuries, the stone became exposed only after a tree fell near the town of Wawa, not far from Lake Superior. Closer inspection showed that someone had etched 255 runes into a roughly 4 by 5 foot section of the slab. Additionally, they took time to add a detailed illustration of a boat, an additional 16 runic signs, and 14 X markings. Photos of the site soon wound up in front of Ryan Primrose, president of the Ontario Center for Archaeological Education, who was immediately stunned by the images. 'It's certainly among the least expected discoveries of my career. It's absolutely fascinating,' he told CBC. However, Primrose didn't want anyone jumping to conclusions about the inscription. While it's true that Vikings explored portions of present-day Canada thousands of years ago, he doubted they were responsible for the mystery message. 'We didn't want to release anything publicly until we had done as much analysis as possible,' said Primrose. He soon contacted Uppsala University emeritus professor of runology Henrik Williams, and helped the renowned expert arrange a visit to the site the following October. 'I was under a tarpaulin for three hours with a flashlight, looking at the runes and the others were sitting outside freezing,' recalled Williams. The group's patience and endurance paid off. Williams eventually determined that the message was written with Futhark alphabetic runes. First developed and used by Germanic peoples between the 2nd and 8th centuries CE, Futhark eventually evolved into a simplified version adopted by Scandinavians. Both the Anglo-Saxons and Frisiacs also expanded it into their own variants, but the knowledge of how to read its original iteration died out by the High Middle Ages (around 1000-1300 CE). It wouldn't be until 1865 that Norwegian scholar Sophus Bugge finally succeeded in deciphering the long-lost language. People across Europe remained fascinated with runes in the interim, however. During the early 1600s, Swedish polymath (and occultist) Johannes Bureus adopted the symbols into a system that roughly corresponded to his home country's language. This culminated in the publication of a Swedish language Lord's Prayer written with the Futhark runes in 1611. But don't think the Canadian oddity's story ended there. 'This must have been a Swede,' Primrose said of the etcher. 'Were there any Swedes at all here?' Not during the 17th century, according to his research. That said, historical documents confirm that Hudson's Bay Company stationed Swedish workers at trading posts across Canada beginning in the 1800s. And it just so happens that Bureus' runic Lord's Prayer was republished during the 19th century. Taken altogether, Primrose and colleagues now theorize that a Hudson's Bay Company employee—or employees—are responsible for the labor-intensive project that likely took days, if not weeks to complete. The conservationists are now working with the local landowners on a leasehold to turn their archaeological discovery into a public heritage site that includes a protective structure to guard it against the elements. Primrose confessed to being 'a little disappointed' that the artifact is likely only a couple centuries old, but plenty of questions still surround the find. Was the site a place for religious gatherings, or the devotional effort of one person? Prior to its exposure, the bedrock also lay under multiple inches of soil. With no other artifacts found nearby, was the prayer intentionally buried? 'The mystery doesn't fade just because it's younger than we hoped. Why was it carved here? Why this text? There are no answers,' he said. 'And mysteries always draw people in.'
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
Mystery of 200-year-old runes found in Canada finally cracked
The runes, numbering 255 in total, were discovered in 2018 when a tree fell and exposed a carefully carved inscription in Ontario, Canada, just 155 miles from the US border Archaeologists have finally cracked a 200 year old code etched into a remote Canadian rock, leaving researchers gobsmacked. The 255 enigmatic symbols were unearthed in 2018 when a tree toppled over and revealed a meticulously carved inscription near the small town of Wawa in Ontario, just 155 miles from the US border in Michigan, according to MailOnline. Now, after years of scrutiny, archaeologist Ryan Primrose from the Ontario Centre for Archaeological Education has disclosed that the markings are actually the Lord's Prayer - penned entirely in Swedish using ancient Nordic runes. The religious message was an unexpected discovery in the Canadian wilderness. However, further probing unveiled that Swedish workers had once been enlisted by the Hudson's Bay Company to staff isolated trading posts in the 1800s - suggesting one of them as the probable author of the carving. With no other artefacts discovered at the site, experts reckon it may have served as a modest outdoor place of worship for the Scandinavian settlers, reports the Express. During the 19th century, the Hudson's Bay Company - a massive British fur trading network - was expanding swiftly across North America. To staff remote locations in Canada's interior and the Pacific Northwest, they frequently turned to recruits from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. What is the mysterious slab Mystery surrounds a stone slab found in Manitoba, Canada, featuring ancient carvings within a precise square border three feet by four. Accompanying the inscriptions is an image of a boat circled by 16 figures - thought to represent Swedes travelling to Canada long ago. Primrose shared with CBC that the slab seemed purposefully buried. "There were ruins covered by about six inches of soil," he recounted. Although the wear on the stone hints it might hail from several centuries past, evidence points to Swedish speakers in the area just two centuries ago. Henrik Williams, emeritus professor at Uppsala University, Sweden, highlighted the rarity of runic inscriptions: "Any runic inscription is rare. Someone put all this effort into this particular text and you wonder why. The mystery does not decrease just because of its age." Emphasising his caution, Primrose revealed his delay in announcing the find until the translation was certain. "This is certainly among the least expected finds I have encountered in my career," he conceded. What is The Lord's Prayer? The Lord's Prayer is familiar to Christians worldwide, found in the New Testament in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4, summarising vital Christian teachings from begging for daily bread to the significance of pardon and eschewing sin. In the early Christian tradition, it was imparted to new converts and recited during worship. Over time, it became a central part of liturgy across all major branches of Christianity - Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant - earning itself the nickname of the perfect prayer. Translated into numerous languages, the version of the prayer found in Canada is in Swedish, reflecting both religious devotion and cultural identity. Although the Bible was translated into Swedish in 1541, scholars suggest that the use of runes in this inscription might have been a way to honour Scandinavia's linguistic heritage - a remarkable fusion of faith and history etched into stone, waiting to be discovered.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Mysterious carving found in northern Ontario wilderness
Seven years ago, a tree fell over in the northern Ontario bush and exposed an archeological mystery that researchers are still trying to understand. Found carved into the bedrock, not far from the town of Wawa, were 255 symbols arranged in a square about 1.2 metres by 1.5 metres, and next to it, there is carved a picture of a boat with 16 people on it, as well as 14 Xs. Photos of the discovery made their way to Ryan Primrose, an archeologist based in New Liskeard and the director of the Ontario Centre for Archeological Education. "Well it's certainly among the least expected finds that I think I've encountered during my career. It's absolutely fascinating," he said. Primrose has been working on the carvings since 2018 and is now talking about it publicly for the first time. "We didn't want to release information publicly until we had done as much as we could at the time to understand exactly what it was," he said. Primrose quickly realized the 255 characters were Nordic runes, part of a language known as Futhark that was used in Scandinavia in centuries past. He was worried some would jump to conclusions that these were carved by Vikings more than a millennium ago. That's why he sought the help of Henrik Williams, an emeritus professor at Uppsala University in Sweden and a leading expert in runology. He came to analyze the well-worn carvings on a drizzly cold October day several years ago. "I was under a tarpaulin for three hours with a flash light, looking at the runes and the others were sitting outside freezing," Williams said. "And I came out with this reading." He realized that the runic writing spelled out the words of The Lord's Prayer in Swedish and traced it back to a 1611 runic version of the prayer, which was republished in the 19th century. "It must have taken days and days of work. They are really deeply carved into the rock. Someone must have spent a couple of weeks carving this thing," Williams said. "And this must have been a Swede. Were there any Swedes at all here?" Primrose said subsequent research has shown that the Hudson's Bay Company did hire Swedes in the 1800s to work at trading posts in the Canadian wilderness, including the Michipicoten post, not too far from where the carving was found. He says his going theory, based on how worn the carving is, is that it was likely made in the early to mid-1800s. Williams admits to being "a little disappointed" that it's only about 200 years old, but says "the mystery around it doesn't decrease just because it's slightly younger than we hoped it was." "Anybody has to start wondering 'Why on Earth did they carve it here and why did they choose that text?' And there's no answers," he said. "But mysteries, they do tend to attract people and this one will certainly do that." Primrose speculates this carving could have been a spot for religious worship, perhaps a gathering place for Swedes who worked at the trading post, or the solitary work of one person. He says the carving was found under several inches of soil and it was likely deliberately buried, but no other artifacts were found in the area which makes it "difficult to tell what's going on." Working with the property owner, Primrose has applied for a lease hold on the land and is hoping to get funding to develop the site into a historical tourist attraction, including a structure over the carving to protect it from further wear. He hopes to have those plans formalized by the end of the summer and then give the public a chance to ponder the mysterious carving in person.
