Norse Expansion Into North America
Norse Expansion into North America
In 985 or 986, with the Norse expansion west from Iceland into Greenland, the Icelanders met with a distant world, different from what they had left. Opportunities for agriculture were grimmer but game resources infinitely greater. Livestock farmers by preference, the newcomers spent their first decade clearing land for pastures and nursing their herds to increase the limited number of cattle, sheep and goats they had been able to ship over from Iceland. For a while, intriguing tales of lands yet farther west must wait to be pursued.
As the fledgling settlement gained in self-sufficiency, able-bodied men could be spared from the normal chores and expeditions mounted to explore distant regions. Vast herds of walrus were discovered around Disko Island. Their meat was of little interest, but excellent leather could be made from their hides, and, above all, their ivory tusks had immense value in Europe.
Time had also come to search for the lands discovered by Bjarni Herjolfsson west and south of Greenland the same year as the Greenland colony was founded. An expedition was organized under the sponsorship of Erik the Red and led by his son Leif Eriksson to explore and exploit these unknown areas. His and subsequent explorations have been described in the Vinland Sagas.
The Vinland Sagas describe three distinct locations investigated by the Norse. Farthest to the north was Helluland, Land of Stone. Two days of sailing in a southerly direction brought the expedition to Markland, Land of Woods, and another two days to VÌnland, Land of Wine. Vinland was described as a land rich in resources, salmon, game of all kinds, excellent lumber, and, to the astonishment and delight of everyone, wild grapes. Winters were mild, and during the winter, there were more hours of daylight than in Iceland or Greenland. The Norse also observed great tidal differences and landlocked lagoons where halibut could be caught in puddles on the shore as
In 985 or 986, with the Norse expansion west from Iceland into Greenland, the Icelanders met with a distant world, different from what they had left. Opportunities for agriculture were grimmer but game resources infinitely greater. Livestock farmers by preference, the newcomers spent their first decade clearing land for pastures and nursing their herds to increase the limited number of cattle, sheep and goats they had been able to ship over from Iceland. For a while, intriguing tales of lands yet farther west must wait to be pursued.
As the fledgling settlement gained in self-sufficiency, able-bodied men could be spared from the normal chores and expeditions mounted to explore distant regions. Vast herds of walrus were discovered around Disko Island. Their meat was of little interest, but excellent leather could be made from their hides, and, above all, their ivory tusks had immense value in Europe.
Time had also come to search for the lands discovered by Bjarni Herjolfsson west and south of Greenland the same year as the Greenland colony was founded. An expedition was organized under the sponsorship of Erik the Red and led by his son Leif Eriksson to explore and exploit these unknown areas. His and subsequent explorations have been described in the Vinland Sagas.
The Vinland Sagas describe three distinct locations investigated by the Norse. Farthest to the north was Helluland, Land of Stone. Two days of sailing in a southerly direction brought the expedition to Markland, Land of Woods, and another two days to VÌnland, Land of Wine. Vinland was described as a land rich in resources, salmon, game of all kinds, excellent lumber, and, to the astonishment and delight of everyone, wild grapes. Winters were mild, and during the winter, there were more hours of daylight than in Iceland or Greenland. The Norse also observed great tidal differences and landlocked lagoons where halibut could be caught in puddles on the shore as