Original headline:
*There's a new theory on Oak Island
A Norwegian film crew says it has made a thrilling discovery on Oak Island, one that links the famed island to a secret society that dates back hundreds of years.
But Petter Amundsen won't say what he found. For that, you'll have to watch his documentary next year or read his book.
"Most people can only dream about finding something like this," the self-described historical detective said in an interview from his home in Norway.
The documentary crew spent three days filming on Oak Island last month.
Mr. Amundsen said he went there with a theory he intended to prove but came away with something quite different.
But, like the mysterious island that has entranced treasure hunters for more than 200 years, Mr. Amundsen cloaks his findings in secrecy.
"I was almost certain Plan A was the correct answer."
But once he began exploring, he soon realized he was wrong.
"Plan B kicked in very powerfully."
His shock and disappointment are caught on film.
"I was confused for a few hours until it suddenly dawned on me what I really had found."
Mr. Amundsen gives clues to his findings. He supports the theory the island hides lost manuscripts that prove Shakespeare did not write his plays.
He said there are symbols on boulders, and he had studied such cyphers, or codes, in connection with other work he was doing in Europe.
"I read certain artifacts under these great boulders, the geometric patterns with numbers, and it was very straightforward for me to connect that with a very secret society in early 17th-century England and Germany."
Mr. Amundsen interviewed author and playwright Mark Finnan for his documentary. Mr. Finnan once lived in Mahone Bay, and his book Oak Island Secrets is in its third printing.
Mr. Finnan also believes Sir Francis Bacon is the man who really wrote Shakespeare's works.
"He was a genius of his age with connections in secret circles and interest in the colonies and the New World."
One of Sir Bacon's "inner circle," Mr. Finnan said, was a mining engineer who knew how to create underground workings.
Mr. Finnan believes the stone markings were made by masons - the founders of the secretive Masonic order.
"There seems to be strong evidence of a Mason connection, certainly of a secret society. The symbols, the patterns, it was a code."
He believes the real treasure may not be money or jewels, but parchment - old sheets of paper that could turn the academic and literary worlds on their heads.
"I have no doubt in my mind there was extraordinary activity on the island of a very secretive nature," Mr. Finnan said.
And he said Mr. Amundsen uncovered proof.
"He had a very credible theory and then he put his money where his mouth is and produced evidence to back up that theory to that point."
Now comes the challenge of taking it to the next step.
Mr. Amundsen spent his own money to pursue the venture this far. He needs help to do further exploration.
He also wants his documentary to air in Canada. Mr. Finnan said he is putting together a proposal to partner with a Nova Scotia production company.
"Certainly this is not a Norwegian story," Mr. Amundsen said. "This is part of Canadian heritage."
People have been looking for the Oak Island treasure since 1795. They've spent more than $2 million in all, and six people have died in the search.
"Some people think there will never be a conclusion," Mr. Amundsen said. "I hope to convince them it's worth looking."
TREASURE THEORIES
TREASURE THEORIES
Documentary filmmaker Petter Amundsen has his theory about the treasure of Oak Island, but no one knows what - if anything - lies beneath its South Shore soil.
"We're all still groping in the dark to some extent," said Mark Finnan, who has written mysteries connected to Nova Scotia history.
But here are other popular theories about the treasure, some more plausible than others:
A communal pirate bank like those found in Haiti and Madagascar
A French or English colonial treasury vault
Sir Francis Drake's treasure, plundered from Spanish ships and Caribbean settlements
The Holy Grail
Incan or Mayan riches
Viking plunder - Marie Antoinette's jewels
Captain Kidd's treasure
Treasure of the Knights Templar, warrior knights who invented banking
Sir Francis Drake's treasure, plundered from Spanish ships and Caribbean settlements
The Holy Grail
Incan or Mayan riches
Viking plunder - Marie Antoinette's jewels
Captain Kidd's treasure
Treasure of the Knights Templar, warrior knights who invented banking
