The Vinland Sagas
Review by Tom
Rating: 7/10
Containing The Saga Of The Greenlanders and Erik The Red's Saga, this book contains the first written, contemporary written accounts of the Norse continental discovery of North America approximately 500 years before Christopher Columbus. One of the first Vikings, or more accurately the first Skógarmaðr (Old Norse for outlaw) that I encountered was Erik the Red. So, it was interesting to read his namesake saga and not really learn more about him, as he has a small role in his own saga. Even so, I have always admired his son Leif Erikson and to read about his voyages from Greenland to North America in around 1000AD (the same year that Iceland fully accepted Christianity as their primary religion) was exciting and fascinating.
The four voyages to North America contained in these sagas are different, and tend to best the one that had gone before it. With each voyage you learn a little bit more about how the settlers saw the new continent and they are named around what resources they could get or a particular landscape characteristic, for example, Markland (translated means "Forest Land") was a place where they could harvest timber and Helluland (translated means "Land of the Flat Stones" or "Stone-slab Land") was an area covered in flat rocks. This very literal naming convention is helpful for any future voyages as distinctive landmarks and this is prevalent in later voyages. Despite this phenomenal navigational feat, the settlers could never settle long due to resistance to their presence by Native Americans and the conflicts are recorded, despite interactions initially starting peacefully through trade. The other fascinating thing about these sagas is the birth of Snorri, technically the first European Canadian/American, although his descendants would be more famous than him, it is awesome to know that he was the first European descended North American.
Whilst sagas document these accounts with frustratingly little detail and the quest to find Leif's Vinland is still ongoing, although there could be a strong case for the Viking settlement L'Anse aux Meadows, at the northern tip of Newfoundland, Canada. These sagas of great intrigue as it is a phenomenal feat of navigation and sailing prowess, given the context of the time period on which it is in. One thing we must bear in mind with this is that there was a warmer climate on Earth during this era, making farming on Greenland much easier as the world was one degree warmer on average. So the fact that Vinland got its name after the discovery of grapevines, for me makes it plausible that Vinland could be in Canada. With that in mind, it is incredibly frustrating that the Saga style of writing is so matter-of-fact and packed with vague, ambiguous details, as whilst you're reading these sagas you want to know the exact location of these events so you can place them (which you can do when reading other sagas). As we don't have that precise locating, we have to interpret it our own way and that also leads to a bit of doubt as to wether they happened (obviously the archeological evidence backs it up but any saga reader knows that truth bending and fancy thinking isn't beyond the realm of the saga's author). Between the two sagas there are a few contradictions that can confuse you and cause even more frustration, however it is known that both sagas were written independently from one another, and the similarities outweigh the contradictions for me.
This brief but fascinating insight into the discovery of the New World is fascinating and frustrating in equal measure. Whilst I enjoyed finding out more of Leif and his brother Throvald's voyages, I find myself left with more questions than answers. Until the archeological evidence is discovered, this is the closest we will get to knowing what happened on these infamous voyages. This book has also confirmed my thoughts about the curiosity of the Norse mind, continually seeking knowledge and opportunity to understand their world whilst living as comfortably as possible, is something that echoes Odin's quest for wisdom, which in turn is inspirational from my perspective. For those curious about the Nose North American voyages and life in Greenland, this book is for you.
Comments
Post a Comment