Kathrine Frich
The long-awaited breakthrough has finally arrived.
The long-awaited breakthrough has finally arrived.
Treefall Reveals Mysterious Stone
In a quiet forest near Wawa, Ontario, a routine storm in 2018 brought down a tre and with it, uncovered an extraordinary secret.
Beneath the roots lay a rock etched with 255 mysterious symbols, arranged with meticulous care inside a carved square border.
Locals were baffled, and archaeologists had no quick answers. What followed was a six-year journey to unlock a forgotten tale of faith, migration, and heritage.
The Lord’s Prayer in Ancient Runes
Archaeologist Ryan Primrose and his team at the Ontario Center for Archaeological Education have confirmed the symbols spell out the Lord’s Prayer in Swedish, rendered entirely in ancient Nordic runes.
It’s a stunning find, not just for its age, but for the cultural and religious resonance buried with it.
Swedish Settlers and a Hidden Place of Worship
The carving is believed to be the handiwork of Scandinavian fur traders working for the Hudson’s Bay Company in the 1800s.
With no nearby artefacts or settlement remains, experts suggest the slab may have served as a makeshift outdoor altar, a quiet refuge for prayer in a rugged, unfamiliar land.
It’s a poignant snapshot of faith preserved in stone.
The Carving’s Details: Runes, Boats and a Hidden Group
Measuring roughly three feet by four, the rock’s square panel includes not only script but an image of a boat surrounded by 16 human figures, possibly the settlers themselves.
The slab had been deliberately buried and lay hidden beneath six inches of soil. Primrose believes this wasn’t an accident but a form of preservation.
“Someone went to great effort to protect this,” he told CBC.
“Rare, Remarkable, and Deeply Human”
Runes are rare enough in the archaeological record, but a fully rendered Christian prayer? That’s nearly unheard of.
Henrik Williams, a runic scholar from Sweden’s Uppsala University, helped decode the message.
“The mystery doesn’t lessen just because we understand the words,” he said. “It’s a profound act of cultural memory and spiritual devotion.”
A Nordic Link to the New World
During the 19th century, the Hudson’s Bay Company often hired Swedes, Norwegians, and Danes to staff its far-flung trading posts across North America.
This carving provides tangible evidence of their presence and beliefs, a personal testament to how far their roots extended.
And while the Bible was printed in Swedish centuries earlier, choosing runes shows a conscious nod to heritage.
The Perfect Prayer, Preserved in Stone
The Lord’s Prayer, or “Our Father,” is a pillar of Christian tradition across denominations.
To find it here, in a remote Canadian forest and in an ancient Scandinavian script, is more than a linguistic puzzle, it’s a symbol of resilience, identity, and the need for spiritual anchoring in distant lands.
As Primrose put it: “One of the most unexpected and touching discoveries of my career.”