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Norse settlements in Greenland
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Norse settlements in Greenland
Norse settlements in Greenland were established after 986 by settlers coming from Iceland. The settlers, known as Grænlendingar ('Greenlanders' in Icelandic and not to be confused with Greenlanders), were the first Europeans to explore and temporarily settle North America. It is assumed that they developed their own language that is referred to as Greenlandic Norse, not to be confused with the Eskaleut Greenlandic language.[page needed] Their settlements existed for about half a millennium before they were abandoned for reasons that are still not entirely clear.
The sources on the settlement of Greenland are sparse. The main sources are the Íslendingabók by the scholar Ari Thorgilsson, the Landnámabók (the land seizure book) by an unknown author, but probably with Ari's involvement, the anonymous Grænlendinga saga (Saga of the Greenlanders) and the also anonymous Saga of Erik the Red. But there is also information about the inhabitants of Greenland in other works; these are: the Flóamanna saga (Story of the People of Flói), the Einars þáttr Sokkasonar (Story of Einar Sokkason), the Króka-Refs saga (Story of Fox the Cunning), a more novelistic tale from the 14th century, the Fóstbrœðra saga (The Story of the Oath Brothers), the story of Olaf Tryggvason in the Heimskringla, the Konungs skuggsjá, and Adam of Bremen.
Individual messages can also be found in the Icelandic annals, which are reproduced in translation below. Geographical notes about Greenland (Gripla, Landabók and others) remain unmentioned here. Three Inuit stories about the Norsemen have been passed down in oral tradition. They were recorded in the 19th century and published by Hinrich Johannes Rink under the title Eskimoiske Eventyr og Sagn in Copenhagen 1866–1871. Even though these stories are very legendary and fairytale-like, they still represent the only evidence of the memory of Inuit on this topic. From the 14th century, the most important source is the description of Greenland by Ívarr Bárðarson, who stayed there for several years. The Skarðárannáll by Björn Jónsson á Skarðsá also enjoys a high reputation, although some dating errors can be found in later additions. Written sources can be confusing, for example, it is not possible to determine whether a date is 1406, 1456 or 1460.
There are no sources written in Greenland itself. There is no Greenlandic collection of laws, no chronicles, no annals of any kind. This absence is particularly noticeable after 1300, when few sagas were written, and accounts of earlier events are unreliable.
Original documents have varying credibility. Adam praises the Danish king Sven Estridson for his scholarship and confesses that he learned many important facts for his book, but his description of Greenlanders, whom he describes as "pale green like the sea," from which Greenland gets its name, is obviously fabulous. The news found in Rimbert's Vita Ansgarii that Pope Gregory IV had also appointed Ansgar of Bremen legate for Greenland and that Pope Nicholas I had commissioned him to proselytize in Greenland, is considered a later, false insertion. However, Adam's news that Archbishop Adalbert had ordained the first bishop Ísleifur Gissurarson for Iceland and also for Greenland is sound. Some accounts are derivative because they have been obviously taken from other sources. Other texts are obviously fictitious, but their embedding in Greenlandic society can accurately reflect the conditions there as a background.
Ari Thorgilsson writes in his Íslendingabók that he got his information from his uncle, who had a good memory and who spoke to someone in Greenland who had sailed to Greenland with Erik the Red.
Archaeology has now produced results that can be used to check individual reports.
The Viking expansion in the Early Middle Ages had its roots in two main social characteristics. The inheritance law in force among the Nordic peoples at the time favoured the firstborn son. When new arable and pastureland in Scandinavia could no longer be developed due to the relatively dense settlement, the only alternative left to those born later was to build up their own property outside the established structures. This was promoted by the high value that personal daring, willingness to take risks and physical resilience had in the local society. With advances in shipbuilding around the 8th century, the tools became available to travel to the edge of the known world and found settlements there.
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Norse settlements in Greenland
Norse settlements in Greenland were established after 986 by settlers coming from Iceland. The settlers, known as Grænlendingar ('Greenlanders' in Icelandic and not to be confused with Greenlanders), were the first Europeans to explore and temporarily settle North America. It is assumed that they developed their own language that is referred to as Greenlandic Norse, not to be confused with the Eskaleut Greenlandic language.[page needed] Their settlements existed for about half a millennium before they were abandoned for reasons that are still not entirely clear.
The sources on the settlement of Greenland are sparse. The main sources are the Íslendingabók by the scholar Ari Thorgilsson, the Landnámabók (the land seizure book) by an unknown author, but probably with Ari's involvement, the anonymous Grænlendinga saga (Saga of the Greenlanders) and the also anonymous Saga of Erik the Red. But there is also information about the inhabitants of Greenland in other works; these are: the Flóamanna saga (Story of the People of Flói), the Einars þáttr Sokkasonar (Story of Einar Sokkason), the Króka-Refs saga (Story of Fox the Cunning), a more novelistic tale from the 14th century, the Fóstbrœðra saga (The Story of the Oath Brothers), the story of Olaf Tryggvason in the Heimskringla, the Konungs skuggsjá, and Adam of Bremen.
Individual messages can also be found in the Icelandic annals, which are reproduced in translation below. Geographical notes about Greenland (Gripla, Landabók and others) remain unmentioned here. Three Inuit stories about the Norsemen have been passed down in oral tradition. They were recorded in the 19th century and published by Hinrich Johannes Rink under the title Eskimoiske Eventyr og Sagn in Copenhagen 1866–1871. Even though these stories are very legendary and fairytale-like, they still represent the only evidence of the memory of Inuit on this topic. From the 14th century, the most important source is the description of Greenland by Ívarr Bárðarson, who stayed there for several years. The Skarðárannáll by Björn Jónsson á Skarðsá also enjoys a high reputation, although some dating errors can be found in later additions. Written sources can be confusing, for example, it is not possible to determine whether a date is 1406, 1456 or 1460.
There are no sources written in Greenland itself. There is no Greenlandic collection of laws, no chronicles, no annals of any kind. This absence is particularly noticeable after 1300, when few sagas were written, and accounts of earlier events are unreliable.
Original documents have varying credibility. Adam praises the Danish king Sven Estridson for his scholarship and confesses that he learned many important facts for his book, but his description of Greenlanders, whom he describes as "pale green like the sea," from which Greenland gets its name, is obviously fabulous. The news found in Rimbert's Vita Ansgarii that Pope Gregory IV had also appointed Ansgar of Bremen legate for Greenland and that Pope Nicholas I had commissioned him to proselytize in Greenland, is considered a later, false insertion. However, Adam's news that Archbishop Adalbert had ordained the first bishop Ísleifur Gissurarson for Iceland and also for Greenland is sound. Some accounts are derivative because they have been obviously taken from other sources. Other texts are obviously fictitious, but their embedding in Greenlandic society can accurately reflect the conditions there as a background.
Ari Thorgilsson writes in his Íslendingabók that he got his information from his uncle, who had a good memory and who spoke to someone in Greenland who had sailed to Greenland with Erik the Red.
Archaeology has now produced results that can be used to check individual reports.
The Viking expansion in the Early Middle Ages had its roots in two main social characteristics. The inheritance law in force among the Nordic peoples at the time favoured the firstborn son. When new arable and pastureland in Scandinavia could no longer be developed due to the relatively dense settlement, the only alternative left to those born later was to build up their own property outside the established structures. This was promoted by the high value that personal daring, willingness to take risks and physical resilience had in the local society. With advances in shipbuilding around the 8th century, the tools became available to travel to the edge of the known world and found settlements there.
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