Book Says Viking Legend Was Real King

The Viking god Odin may have been a real king who lived in what is now southern Russia 2,000 years ago, Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl says in a controversial new book. In “The Hunt for Odin,” Heyerdahl says his archeological digs by the Sea of Azov in Russia backed evidence in 13th century sagas written by Snorre Sturlason that Odin was more than a myth.

Heyerdahl said Odin was a king who lived around Azov before being driven out by the Romans and taking his followers to Sweden. Ancient metal belt holders, rings and armbands dating from AD 100 to 200 found in excavations around the mouth of the Don River were almost identical to Viking equivalents found in Gotland, Sweden, some 800 years later, he said. “Snorre didn’t sit down and dream this all up,” Heyerdahl said. “In ancient times, people treated gods and kings as one and the same thing.”

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Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II