Can Freemasonry be a cultural borrowing into England and Scotland from the rituals of the Viking warriors when they were initiated to the Norse gods? This is exactly what this book tries to explain and to prove. Modern Freemasonry can be said to have originated in England and Scotland - but there was always a prominent presence of the Old Norse religion that Norwegian and Danish Vikings and settlers brought with them to The British Isles during their days of glory. Though the Freemasons were "Christianized", with King Salomon's temple and his two pillars as a guarantee, probably brought into the rites in the 900s, the Norse rituals were always still behind. Archeologists have found the two pillars in cult houses in Scandinavia as early as 2400 BC, and they are still to be seen in our oldest stave churches in Norway. Knowledge about the underlying symbolism and religion in the Migration Period and the Norse religion of the Viking Age, can explain a number of features of Masonic rituals that are otherwise completely incomprehensible and mysterious to an outsider. This groundbreaking new theory on Freemasonry 's origin made quite a stir in Norway when it came out in 2016. Two reviews of the Norwegian book from 2016: "I have now read the book. Fascinating! I see you have done a solid job supporting your hypothesis in a sufficiently convincing way... "The Freemasons in the Viking Age" should be able to give many archaeologists material and ideas to consider what to look for in order to uncover and interpret traces of pre-Christian cultic activity." - Oddgeir Hoftun, archaeologist, art historian and author.
"Thanks for a great book about the roots of Freemasonry! I think you argue well and the assumptions and possibilities are exciting. We Freemasons should enjoy the heritage of our foremothers and forefathers' culture! I think your book deserves the place of honor! I recommend it to everyone!" - Carl Thomas Carlsten, Dr. philos.
The producer of the Forum Borealis podcast, where I was interviewed, says in a text message: "I don't have numbers on how many masons have given me panegyric feedback on your research. The Norwegian Order of Freemasonry (DNFO) is obviously the exception, not the rule".
