Plot Synopsis

SECRETS OF THE VIKING STONE is a one-hour docuseries that follows actor Peter Stormare and history enthusiast Elroy Balgaard, as they set out to solve the mystery of the famed Kensington Runestone -- an artifact that, if proven authentic, could rewrite the history of North America. Throughout their journey across the country to uncover the truth about the founding of America through meetings with scholars, skeptics and sensationalists alike, Stormare and Balgaard dive deep into the story of the Kensington Runestone and its controversial history. Discovered in 1898 by a Swedish-born resident Olof Ohman in Kensington, Minnesota, the Runestone, a large stone slab, was found under the roots of a tree with an inscription in an alphabet unknown to scholars at the time. Its discovery was published in a Swedish-language newspaper in Minneapolis, which quickly launched one of the greatest mysteries in American history. With naysayers questioning its authenticity, citing the fabricated inscription and timeline discrepancies, and supporters turning to historical evidence such as possible 14th-century Scandinavian expeditions to North America, the Kensington Runestone has divided many and has remained a source of debate among historians, experts, linguists, conspiracy theorists and scholars since its discovery. Meeting with passionate enthusiasts around the country, Stormare and Balgaard leave no stone unturned as they meet with descendants of Ohman to learn more about the family's dark history and the stone's discovery, work alongside leading archaeologists to survey new sites and unearth new evidence, and hear new ground breaking insights from top forensic geologists who have dedicated their careers to the stone.