ICELAND The stone boat containing many animal bones was probably created by the Vikings to prevent the apocalyptic event of Ragnarok in Norse mythology.

Archaeologists discovered the remains of rare artifacts from the Middle East in a cave in Iceland. This cave is located in a volcano that erupted nearly 1,100 years ago. At the time of that eruption, the Vikings colonized Iceland. The impact of the eruption was certainly worrisome, posing vital challenges for the new inhabitants, the team said in the paper published in the journal Archaeological Science.

Research results show that after the lava cooled, the Vikings entered the cave and built a boat-shaped structure out of rock. Inside the building, the Vikings burned the bones of animals, including sheep, goats, cattle, horses and pigs at high temperatures for sacrifice. This action may be an attempt to prevent the Ragnarok apocalypse. The Vikings believe that in that event, the gods will destroy and create fire to burn the world.

Near the site, archaeologists discovered 63 stone beads, three of which were from Iraq, according to Kevin Smith, associate director and curator of the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology at Brown University, who led the team of experts. break the cave. Smith and colleagues also found traces of orpiment, a mineral from eastern Türkiye, near the rock formation. This is a cavity used to decorate objects, but very few specimens have been discovered in Scandinavia.

Historical records reveal that the Vikings linked the cave with Surtr, a giant in Norse mythology, causing a series of events that led to the apocalypse. According to mythology, the world will end when Surtr kills the last god in the battle of Ragnarök and destroys the world with fire.

The team does not know why rare goods in the Middle East were left in the cave. The Vikings reached as far as the Middle East and goods could arrive in Iceland via trade routes. But researchers do not rule out the possibility that they were used to appease Surtr, preventing him from destroying the world. Another possibility is that the goods strengthen Freyr, the god who fought against Surtr.

In the audience of Ragnarok, Freyr died in battle with Surtr and was unable to stop the world from collapsing. The presence of a variety of animal bones supports this hypothesis. It is possible that the Vikings hoped that the objects placed in the cave would help Freyr defeat Surtr and stop Ragnarök.