Launching theory about Nordic gods

Azerbaijan, 1980-2000

Thor Heyerdahl launched theories about Azerbaijan being the origin for the Nordic god Odin were never proved.

Rock carvings at Gobustan west for Baku got Thor Heyerdahl to think about Norwegian rock carvings. With this as background he launched the theory that Azerbaijan was an advanced ancient civilization. According to the theory people from Azerbaijan moved north through different waterways, all the way up to Scandinavia using skin boats that could fold and be carried. At a lecture in Baku Thor Heyerdahl spoke about Odin, the major Nordic god in old times, who according to the 13th-century historian Snorre came to Scandinavia from a country called Aser. According to Thor Heyerdahl the geopraphic description matches todays Azerbaijan. This is probabably one of the theories where he got the least support from other scientists. According to Ragnar Kvam a lot of them even mocked him.

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Connection three ancient civilizations

Where Euphrates meets Tigris, Irak (Oman–Pakistan–Djibouti). 1978

On this trip Thor Heyerdahl proved that there could have been connections between all three of the ancient civilizations.

In ancient times boats made from rush hade been used from the Mediterranean, and the Middle East to the Atlantic coast. After finding illustrations in Mesopotamia, Egypt and Indus Valley of the same kind of boat he himself had crossed the Atlantic with Thor Heyerdahl wanted to find out if there had been connections between the three ancient civilizations. His earlier expeditions had only followed the wind or the streams. This time he decided to also sail against the wind, like modern boats can do. The same Indians that built Ra II built Tigris. It was built were Euphrates meets Tigris, in Iraq. From Iraq Tigris sailed to the Persian Gulf and into the Indian Ocean. From there it sailed to Muscat in Oman and on to Pakistan and finally over the Indian Ocean to Africa. The trip took five months and ended in Djibouti where Heyerdahl burned the ship in protest against all the wars in the Middle East.

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With Ra I and Ra II across the Atlantic

From Egypt– via Morocco– to Barbados 1969-1970

In Egypt Thor Heyerdahl built Ra I, using papyrus and old time ship building techniques still known to local fishermen. By managing to cross the Atlantic to Barbados he proved the connections between North Africa and America.

The boat Ra (again named after a sun-god) was constructed based on drawings from ancient Egypt. Heyerdahl was told boats made from papyrus would only float for two weeks, but he wanted to prove this wrong. The builders came from Lake Chad in Chad. When the boat was finished it was launched into the Atlantic in Morocco. The seven people aboard represented each a nation, this way Thor Heyerdahl also made it a peace project. Ra sailed 5000 kilometers in eight weeks under the UN flag, and unfortunately had to interrupt due to damage on the boat with only one week left to Barbados. During the trip the crew reported about environmental problems on the earth after finding oil far out in the ocean. Ten months later Thor Heyerdahl launched his second boat built from papyrus from the same Moroccan city. Indians from Lake Titicaca in South-America built Ra II. The entire crew from Ra I wanted to continue, and one more representing an eighth nation joined. Ra II sailed 6100 kilometes from Safi in Morocco to Barbados in only 57 days. Again anthropologists throughout the world had to revise their opinion. And by observing the environment the journey put the threat to the oceans on the agenda.

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Finally getting support

Easter Island, 1955-1956 and later 1986-1988

After the excavations on the Easter Island Thor Heyerdahl received some support in the scientific field.

In 1955 Thor Heyerdahl went to the Easter Island to do archeological excavations together with 22 colleagues from Norway, US and Chile. The everywhere present giant statues were according to the local people put up by some earlier civilizations. While working on the island the scientists found out that what had appeared to be heads actually where full statues that had been buried by blowing sand. They also showed similarities with sculptures found in Chile. The scientists also found out that there once had been a lot of trees on the island. After the trees disappeared new plants from South-America took over. Some of the local people claimed that the legend said they arrived from lands far away to the east. After presenting the evidence from Easter Island Thor Heyerdahl gained influence as a scientist. On the later trip to Easter Island he and his fellow scientists managed to prove how the giant sculptures originally were moved.

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Kon-Tiki – the most famous expedition

From Peru to Raroia, French Polonesia, 1947

Raroia is where the balsa raft Kon-Tiki reaches the shore after sailing across the Pacific Ocean from Peru.

Most anthropologists believe and believed that the people living in Polynesia came from west, from Asia. Thor Heyerdahl was convinced they came from the east, from South-America, using an old legend as evidence. In order to prove his point the balsa raft Kon-Tiki was built in Peru. The raft was named after a legendary sun-god, shared by the Inca people and the people of the Polynesian islands. Kon-Tiki started out with six men aboard. They sailed for 101 nights and days and after 8000 kilometers they stranded on Raroia in the Tuamotu Archipelago. The journey proved that it was possible that people in ancient times had crossed the ocean. According to the biographer Ragnar Kvam this is Thor Heyerdahls most important finding by all times. Thor Heyerdahl’s own film made about the expedition received an ”Oscar” and the book was sold in 60 million copies and translated into 70 languages.

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Other scientists doubt his theories

British Columbia, Victoria, Bella-Coola (1939-1940)

In British Columbia Thor Heyerdahl for the first time launches a controversial theory, upsetting colleagues and for this he receives a lot of resistance. It won’t be the last time.

In 1939 he started to study at the Museum of British Columbia, Victoria. He changed his studies from plants and animals to learn about primitive seafarers. In Victoria Thor Heyerdahl learned about the coastal Indians and their culture. He lived with the Indians and found out that there had been two different migration waves to the islands in the Pacific. This wasn’t new, but opposed to others he meant that the first migration wave came on balsa rafts from South-America, not on canoes from Asia. The entire world of anthropologists meant that no kind of American ”ship” could have brought people alive to Polynesia. In Bella-Coola Thor Heyerdal also found language like engravings on some cliffs. The language was called petroglyfs, similar to what could be found on Margqueras, and of course Thor Heyerdahl started to think about the connection. Equivalent engravings were also found in New Zealand.

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The first field project

Fatu Hiva (1937-1938)

Fatuhiva in Polynesia is the place where Thor Heyerdahl started to think about where the Polynesian people actually came from.

Christmas eve in 1936, Thor Heyerdahl married Liv Coucheron Torp. The day after the young couple took the train to Marseille, continued by boat across the Atlantic, through the Panama channel and all the way to Tahiti where they met with chief Teriieroo. For a month he taught them the language and how to manage life in Polynesia. After that they spent a year on the lonely cliff island Fatu-Hiva in Marquesas. The idea was to investigate how animals could have managed to move all the way out into islands in the Pacific Ocean. At a time the couple got sick and had to visit the neighbor island where they met another Norwegian – Henry Lie. He showed them some stone statues in the jungle, and could also tell that the same kind of statues could be found in Colombia, 6000 kilometers to the east. Living close to the Polynesians Thor Heyerdahl noticed the importance of swiftly flowing water and wind and started to doubt the theories that the Polynesians originated from Asia.

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The beginning

Thor Heyerdahl 1914-2002 was one of the most renowned Norwegian scientists. He followed in the adventurous tradition of Roald Amundsen and Fritjof Nansen. The main theory of Thor Heyerdahl was that the large oceans rather connected people than separated them in old times. He was a strong believer in cultural diffusion.

Larvik/Oslo, Norway (1914-1936)

Larvik and Oslo are where Thor Heyerdahl became interested in Polynesia.

Thor Heyerdahl was born October 6 in 1914 in Larvik, a whaling city of Norway. His mother – head of the local museums association – inspired him to be interested in zoology and anthropology. Already as a little boy he knew he was going to become a discoverer. In 1933 he started to study biology and geography at the University of Oslo. There he met Bjarne Kroepelien who had traveled in Polynesia before World War I and even got engaged to the daughter of chief Teriieroo of Tahiti. Kroepelien and his books about Polynesia were of great importance for Heyerdahls further interest in the area. Later he got a letter of recommendation from Kroepelien to give to chief Teriieroo.

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