n returned to their settlement, the settlement was gone. Everything was burned and every family was butchered. The Bjarne and his men were furious over the loss of friends and family members. They immediately blamed the native Indians for the attack on the settlement. The Bjarnes men took the few remains of the settlement and placed them on their ships to sink at sea. The Norsemen believed this was the only true burial for them. Next they then turned their attention on the natives and sought revenge. Armed for battle and with no intentions of returning home, the Norsemen set out to avenge the attack. They burned and rampaged village after village of the Indians homes until every last one of the Norse, including Bjarne himself, was finally cut down. The only traces left from the settlement were the few remaining weapons and the rune stones left from the expedition. No one would inhabit the land for another two centuries. The Norse left little evidence of their existence and settlement in the new world. This story was originally found in the Greenlanders Saga, a book that the Norse left behind detailing their history (do you know where this book was found and who wrote it if no one survived?). Other historical facts show the existence of the Norsemen in North America, these include rune stones, records of nearby Indians referencing men in shiny helmets, and Scandinavian records. The rune stones that the Norsemen left behind became quite important later on in history. Rune stones were used exclusively by the Scandinavians mostly for religious purposes, but they had other purposes such as claiming territories as shown by Bjarne Sigvatson. There were slight variations of the rune stones throughout their existence, but they each had the origins of the same writing. Since the written language was mostly all straight lines, the runic language was usually carved in wood or stone. The runic alphabet is very similar to our modern ...
