Around 1000 AD, a group of explorers sailed over 2,200 nautical miles from Grœnland to North America in search of exotic treasure. But, what they found instead caused the intrepid Norsemen to hastily abandon their only settlement and quickly retreat back to Scandinavia – nearly 500 years before Columbus ever set foot on the New World…
Pelting rain relentlessly soaked every tunic and cloak. Leather shoes sloshed about the exposed wooden deck of the Viking longship, its planks so swollen, water began to pool higher and higher, slowing all rowing to a long, drawn-out, slippery grind. The sails tightly folded away as they would only increase the danger if loose or hoisted as the wind whipped wildly from one direction to another. Unfortunately, the shore was sombrely judged still too far away to deploy smaller crafts safely to the coastline.
Waves furiously splashed over the sides of the big boat and the light of the sun remained cruelly hidden behind the dark storm clouds, rendering the mariners’ sun-shadow board useless. Even the color of the sea confounded – usually its shade was helpful in reading depth, course, and position, but not in the churn and tumult of the storm. The bitter October air chilled right to the bone as the intrepid bunch made their desperate way blindly toward an unexplored, unknown land.
After traversing well over 2,200 nautical miles in two-plus weeks, their long, arduous journey was coming to a very uncertain end. But, in the midst of the gusting wind and downpour, came the outline of a very familiar sight – a large whale carcass – more than enough to supply sustenance and other provisions for quite some time. Its lifeless body washed up in the shallow surf, meaning shore was near. For more than a fortnight, their unproven route had taken them from the west coast of Greenland to a completely new world.
Now, it seemed they’d arrived at their intended destination. Although, not one person in the exploration party knew where they actually were. After all, the Scandanavians known as Vikings did not draw nor use maps. Instead, they relied on various alternatives to ascertain their location and decide in which direction to travel – mostly looking at the positions of the sun and stars.
But, in such inclement conditions, neither celestial guides were visible. Their only clue to their whereabouts was the distance they’d traveled and the remains of a beached whale. None aboard knew what they’d encounter on shore, only vague folklore cautioned them against possible dangers. However, they could no longer remain aboard their longship. While it did provide some refuge, they desperately needed to replenish their supplies.
And, since it was already Haustmánuður or the month of October, winter would soon arrive. In their native Norse lands, Haustmánuður – the last summer month – was also known as the harvest season. So, they would need to work quickly in unison to take advantage of the dead beached whale, as the temperature fell from its late day high down into the forties. Soon, the cloud-cloaked sun would set and any remaining warmth would surely be lost.
Suddenly, without any warning, the wind gusted faster, violently changing directions yet again. The downpour worsened as the waves rolled their craft, pitching it deeper and deeper from starboard to port and back again just as quickly. The men desperately clung to anything available, holding on tightly. The lightning struck all around as the thunder cracked louder and louder.
The photic and sonic blasts were so great, they startled the mariners, causing several to lose their anxious grasp. Two men were forcefully thrown overboard, lost forever to the anger of the sea. Others struggled to avoid the same fate, wrapping their limbs around ropes secured to the bulkhead and weather deck.
Their circumstances grew increasingly dire, with the ship now being thrust way off course by the power of the storm. The distance to the beached whale grew greater and greater with every passing moment – their boat being forced back out into open water. Such a predicament would certainly be untenable, particularly if the storm lasted longer.
Fearing the worst, the captain rallied his men, ordering them back to the oars. They rowed with all their might, bravely attempting to defy wind and tide – even as some of the giant paddles snapped in two. Ever so slowly, the craft cut through the rising, rolling waves, and the unmistakable outline of the shore began to appear once more. Of the thirty-six that started on this seafaring expedition, twenty-nine were left to see this strange new world with their very own eyes. But, it would be an experience that most would live to regret.
After suffering through painful over-exertion, they were finally close enough to shore to disembark. As the storm subsided, the exhausted men got right to work. With precision coordination, the Scandinavian seafarers surrounded the gigantic marine mammal and each man did his part.
Its blubber was the main ingredient for many things, including soap, lamp oil, and even varnish. The presence of such a large animal also meant a healthy ecosystem, so they knew fish would be plentiful in the waters off the coast of the new land earlier dubbed “Vinland” by one of their fellow Norsemen.
The name Vinland alone meant an abundance of grapes and more than enough fertile soil to grow their vegetable staples of cabbages, beans, peas, and endive. They might even find spinach, wild celery, radishes, turnips, parsnips, or wild apples and berries. If anything like the homeland, the explorers would be able to cultivate pears and cherries, too. Just maybe, they’d be lucky enough to stumble on some wild pigs or goats – very common proteins of their normal daily diet.
With the whale harvested and their ship anchored near the shoreline, now was the time to take refuge in the sod houses built by fellow countrymen over a decade earlier. The cleverly-crafted structures were engineering marvels of the day. The cozy residences not only offered shelter from the rain and cold, but they also kept out moisture and wind. What’s more, the natural materials made the structures fireproof.
Still, winter’s grasp threatened a cruel fate if the tiny turf-covereved homes weren’t ready for the brutal elements they’d heard tell of for years. Every man worked tirelessly to ensure each house was sufficiently supplied and safe. There was simply no room for error because any flaw could result in tragedy. All the crew had sufficient warning of the coming conditions and knew preparation was key to survival.
Although the voyagers weren’t entirely sure of their location, they each understood the unmistakable signs of winter. So, the disembarked seafarers formed into various parties: a small group to attend to the turf houses, a foraging group, and a reconnaissance party. The rest would unload supplies and chop wood.
Just after dawn the next morning, the most skilled hunters would set out into the woods in search of wild game – the group needed fresh meat and a hearty meal to renourish and survive. Otherwise, they’d be forced to ration, a thought no one welcomed or relished. But, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time such desperate measures were necessary. And, they weren’t the first of their kind to walk on this unfamiliar terrain.
Although the Spanish were the first to successfully colonize North America, founding St. Augustine on the east coast of Florida in 1565, it wasn’t until twenty-two years later, the British Plymouth Company established a settlement called Roanoke in Virginia. Jamestown was settled in 1607. But, the latter colony burned down in 1698, and it was largely abandoned.
As for Roanoke, its fate remains unknown to this very day. The village only existed for three short years from 1587 to 1590 – the 115 settlers inexplicably disappeared without a trace. But, this was still one hundred years after the arrival of Columbus. And, contrary to popular folklore, the Italian explorer wasn’t the first to discover North America.
The first European expedition parties likely arrived before the new millennia, perhaps as far back as 985 AD – or ever earlier. In fact, it wasn’t even Leif Eriksson. The Icelander learned about the new world from fellow Norseman Bjarni Herjólfsson. His countryman had been storm-driven to the shores of North America while en route to Greenland about 15 years earlier. (This, according to the Grænlendinga saga “Saga of the Greenlanders” in the Flateyjarbók “Book of the Flat Islands.”)
Approximately a decade and a half later in 1000 AD, Leif Eriksson, Son of Erik the Red, followed Bjarni Herjólfsson’s route from their native homeland. It was on this initial journey Eriksson named the regions he encountered for their unique qualities. For instance, the Frobisher Bay area he called, “Helluland,” meaning the Land of Flat Rocks, the northern tip of Labrador – or possibly Cape Chidley – he dubbed, “Markland,” or the Land of Forests, and possibly the area surrounding the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, he called “Vinland,” or Wine Land.
Further expeditions to Vinland were later made by Leif’s siblings, Thorstein (who was forced to turn back before he reached Vinland), Thorvald, and Freydis in the years that followed. Thorvald made more than one trip to the new discovery, but on his last visit, suffered fatal wounds.
Now, the remaining Viking party of twenty-nine was led in 1010 AD by Thorfinn “Karlsefni” Thórdarson, whose nickname meant “the makings of a man” or “promising boy.” A rich and powerful landowner and merchant in his homeland, Thórdarson sought game, fish, timber, and fertile pastures. He would find all of these, but before that, he had to keep his men safe from the winter.
The explorers worked diligently until the end of Haustmánuður or the month of October. By then, the party had enough food, shelter, and supplies to get them through winter. But, when spring finally arrived, the season brought more than warm weather. And, even the infamous Vikings weren’t ready for what they encountered.
As Gói (the period from mid-February to mid-March) came to a close and Einmánuður arrived (mid-March to mid-April), the Scandanavians increasingly emerged for longer and longer periods, taking full advantage of the pleasant, warm weather. The explorers worked diligently raising crops, hunting wild game, and fishing. Their efforts provided a bounty that would sustain their tiny colony for months. During Einmánuður and into Gaukmánuður (mid-April to mid-May) the colony thrived and plans to return to the homeland were discussed to bring more settlers from Greenland and Iceland.
Spring also brought the opportunity to expand the settlement. As the explorers gathered materials and supplies to build more sod houses, they noticed movement in the forest on the outskirts of their colony. But, whatever hid in the woods disappeared before they could identify it. A couple of days later, they saw it again. However, this time, strange beings emerged from the forest, standing just past the treeline.
“Captain Thórdarson! You need to see this right away!”
“Yes, Frode – what is it?”
“We’re not alone here. The men think we’ve encountered natives.”
“Vinland natives?”
It was the first time any of Thorfinn’s countrymen had met the indigenous people of the new world. The Indians and Vikings tried to communicate as best they could, managing to trade pelts for milk. But, when the natives sought to trade for the Viking’s iron weapons, the Scandanavians emphatically declined. The Indians disappeared back into the woods and the Norsemen began to realize they were not the first to occupy or explore the new world.
The Vikings were indeed not the first people to come to North America. Today’s Native American tribes probably arrived 15,000 to 30,000 years ago, walking over the Bering Land Bridge, or what’s also known as Beringia, from Siberia and northeast Asia to modern-day Alaska and Canada. Eventually, they migrated throughout North America, Central, and South America.
Scientists have conducted genetic work that suggests Native American ancestors probably split from Siberians and East Asians about 25,000 years ago. It was around this time their ancestors entered the now mostly drowned landmass of Beringia, which previously bridged the Russian Far East and North America.
Over the ensuing weeks, the Vikings and Indians traded several times. It was during this time that Thorfinn and his wife, Gudrid, had a baby boy, Snorri, who is now considered the first child of European descent to be born in the new world, probably at L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland. Protective of his family, but pragmatic enough to keep relations amicable, the bartering continued.
Still, the Scandanavians would not trade their metal weapons, regardless of what the natives offered and how much the Norsemen wanted those items. It was well understood among the settlers that giving such instruments of death to the natives was too dangerous to risk. In fact, Thorfinn’s people often denigrated Indians as “Skraelings,” or “wretched people.”
The Vikings may have felt the same way Captain John Smith did in 1607 when he landed at Cape Henry in Australia. His party met the aboriginals and quickly concluded the indigenous people of the massive island continent lived “entirely in the moment.” That observation came as the result of examining their culture and lack of modernity – very few tools, numbering only about two dozen, and the conspicuous absence of a wheel, plow, and writing system.
Of course, that particular voyage and subsequent discovery were still over six hundred years away. But nevertheless, Thórdarson’s crew must have thought much the same. In their encounters with the inhabitants of Vinland, the Vikings must have noticed the people who they traded with had very few tools, no way of sailing over great distances, no permanent infrastructure, no wheel, and an apparent lack of a written language. It’s probably why the Scandanavians referred to the natives derogatorily as Skraelings.
Still, the two cultures continued to trade with one another many times over. But, their last encounter would be their final. As fall approached, a larger number of Indians returned to barter and exchange. During one such trade, a native attempted to take an iron weapon from a Norseman, only to be struck dead, causing the tribe to flee back into the woods.
Suspicious of their intentions, Thorfinn ordered his men to build a palisade around their settlement. They worked day and night to erect the protective barrier, occasionally sighting the natives, who seemed to be assessing the situation. Even after the fortification was built, Thórdarson and his men grew increasingly uneasy. So, Karlsefni sent his Norse warriors to track down and ambush the Indians before they could launch a surprise offensive.
When the Vikings found the natives, a fight quickly ensued with tomahawks, bows and arrows clashing against axe and shield. The battle didn’t last long and once over, several Indians lay dead. The explorers, still fearful of retaliation by neighboring tribes, escaped back to their sod houses, behind the palisade.
The barricade and weather provided ample protection for the next few weeks until winter arrived. The elements were so brutal, the unbearable weather forced the Scandanavians to stay in their sod houses until spring. Before the thaw, the Norse settlers prepared to return home. However, the excursion wouldn’t be a simple one. Not because of the unpredictability of the sea but the wrath of the natives who would certainly befall the explorers leaving the safety of their fortified colonies.
At the end of February or Gói, the seafarers worked diligently to resupply and refit their longboat to go back to Greenland. But, it wasn’t soon enough. The tribes had banded together returning in much greater numbers and were out for blood. The raiding natives breached the settlement, unleashing a torrent of arrows, chopping at fleeing settlers with jagged tomahawks, and shooting poison blow guns.
The carnage would mark the end of Thórdarson’s last time in Vinland as he and his men sat off in their longship. Thorfinn and Gudrid returned to Iceland with their son Snorri, about two years after the Vinland colony came to an end. Snorri died about 1090 AD and had two children; a daughter named Hallfrid, and a son named Thorgeir.
No one is sure what happened to the Viking settlement in the years after its abandonment. Other Scandanavians may have returned but none of them attempted to colonize the region again – perhaps due to the hostile threat of the natives as archaeologists have found arrowheads with the remains of buried Norse explorers.
