9-The Vikings – The First European Discoverers

Starting in the 9^th century the Norse from Norway and other Scandinavian countries migrated westward, first to Iceland then to Greenland and on to Labrador and the Newfoundland. Their reasons for their westward expansion are not really known but it is assumed to have been a mix of overpopulation and the wish to hold on to old traditions. They colonized Iceland within 14 years of the island’s discovery in 860 and by 930 all of Iceland was settled. Iceland might have felt the pressures of overpopulation; in addition a major famine occurred in 975 making a westwards migration a necessity. Greenland was discovered in 982 and experienced its first settlement in 985. The map below shows that it might have taken the Norse about 7 days to sail from Iceland’s southwestern reaches to Greenland’s southwestern settlement. This would be under ideal conditions and with ideal ships. Greenland had two Norse colonies; one in the south and one further northwest. It has been estimated that the settlement in the south reached between 3,000 to 4,5000 people, fewer people lived further north.

Source: Interpretation Center L'Anse Aux Meadows, Newfoundland, CA.

According to the Norse sagas, a Norse businessman first set eyes on Labrador and/or Newfoundland around 1,000 AD. His ship from Iceland to Greenland had come off course due to bad weather and on correcting the ship’s course he noted the heavily forested coastline and glaciated mountains. 

Source: Interpretation Center L'Anse Aux Meadows, Newfoundland, CA.

The two globes above show the time it might have taken the Vikings to get from Iceland to Greenland and then from Greenland to Newfoundland under the best possible conditions. We were told, that the trip from Greenland to Newfoundland was sailed by some enterprising adventurers in a replica of the Viking sea-worthy boat, the "knarrs" (not the longboats), and it took them 85 days. These adventurers, however, might have lacked sailing those skills that the Vikings possessed.

Whatever the reasons, the merchant and other Greenlanders weren’t really interested in the discovery of new land, they were more into trade and survival in Greenland. Here stock-raising, i.e. sheep and goats, was the primary agricultural economy since crops had a hard time growing.  So, it took another decade or so for the son of Erik the Red to sail south from Greenland—naming today’s Buffin islands "Helluland",  Labrador "Markland" and possibly, but  not definitely, Newfoundland "Vinland" because there were so many wild grapes growing. His quest was not so much for new land but for support of the existing Greenland and Icelandic settlements since these areas by that time were suffering environmental degradation due to continuous tree felling and livestock grazing. Their ships, the knarrs, were well equipped for cargo thus it is feasible that the Newfoundland coast served as support for the Greenland settlements.

The Viking settlement that has been partially excavated in L'Anse Aux Meadows provides clues as to what the Vikings were doing there. Apparently this was a seasonal settlement which was most likely  used as base camp for ship repair to get to other, more southern areas along the coast for the duration of three years.. Interactions and skirmishes with the Beothuk during this time appeared to have occurred  along the coast, probably a reason why the Vikings didn't colonize the area. At L'Anse Aux Meadows there were clues that the Viking settlement was very close to a Beothuk settlement, a settlement that might have been occupied off and on for about 6,000 years.

Replica of partially excavated Viking settlement site in L'Anse Aux Meadows.
The original site was on the brown earth area right outside the fence in the foreground.

--Sketch of the village envisioned by archeologists--