Sir James Gunn Westford knight myth, again The Sir James Gunn Westford Knight idea is ludicrous; for my detailed discussion on this see http://clangunn.weebly.com/on-a-gunn-helping-discover-north-america---sir-james-gunn-of-clyth-crowner-of-caithness-and-the-westford-knight-myth.html in which I mention that 'bad archaeology' is not unknown in North America and I discuss the AVM Runestone. It's important to know that the Runestone fraud was not an isolated incident -
It is this kind of wishful thinking which has given birth to a major 'Spot the Viking' industry in North America. Ludicrous claims have been made for the most unlikely 'identifications' (followed by a discussion of various frauds) ... America was in a fever of excitement over the Chicago World Fair of 1893 ('The Colombian Exposition') which had featured so dramatically Magnus Anderson's epic sailing of a near replica of the Gokstad Ship from Norway to North America.... The atmosphere was right for a forgery, Scandinavian immigrants in America were in the right mood to accept, the whole world was geared to thinking about Vikings in North America.... (and then comes discussion of further forgeries such as the 'Vinland map') Pages 229-239 Magnus Magnusson, The Vikings, Tempus Publishing Limited, Stroud Gloucestershie UK, 2003 Magnus Magnusson does accept - as do I - that Vikings did make it to North America on the basis of solid archaeology (page 240). So given there have been many fraudulent claims relating to early arrivals in North America there is nothing unusual for the Clan Gunn Westford Knight to be another on that list. And, don't forget, real archaeology rejects this Gunn Westford knight story. Wish fulfilment will not turn a myth into a fact... Update 16 November 2014 And 'spot the first people to discover America' has a new twist; now Muslims discovered America in 1178 according to the Turkish President and his proof seems as good as the Clan Gunn Westford Knight myth - see http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/16/muslims-discovered-america-erdogan-christopher-columbus :)
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