The Vikings & Native Americans | The Sagas of Vinland

During the Viking Age, the Norse people were a dynamic blend of warriors, explorers and farmers. Medieval chronicles recount that under the reign of Harald Fairhair, when Norway was unified for the first time, the imposition of heavy taxes on farmers spurred many to seek new opportunities elsewhere. The Viking expansion in the early middle ages can be traced back to two key social factors, the inheritance law, which favoured the eldest son, and the scarcity of available land in Scandinavia. As settlements grew denser, those born later had no choice but to venture beyond the established borders, seeking to carve out their own fortunes. In the culture of the time, personal daring, physical endurance and a readiness to take risks were held in high regard, fuelling the desire to explore unknown lands. By the 8th century, advances in shipbuilding provided the technology to embark on ambitious voyages, allowing the Norse to journey to the farthest reaches of the known world and establish colonies there. Ingolfur Arnarson is traditionally recognised as the first permanent Norse settler of Iceland. The allure of land in Iceland was irresistible, with some settlers simply claiming it, others would purchase it, while a few forcibly took it from earlier settlers through Holmgang jewels. According to Ari Thorgilsson, Iceland's foremost medieval chronicler, the country was fully settled by the year 930. At the beginning of the 10th century, the seafarer Gumbjarn Ulfsson embarked on a journey from Norway to Iceland, but his ship was blown off course and he drifted towards Greenland's western coast, likely near Cape Farewell. There, he encountered a bleak iceberg-laden landscape and chose not to land. Another early attempt to settle Greenland came from Snabjorn Gauti. According to a saga that has now been lost to time, Gauti headed the first Norse attempt to colonise Greenland. This ended in failure due to many unforgiving hardships that they faced during the winter on the island. As a result, Erik the Red is often credited as the first successful settler of Greenland. Erik, whose fiery temper led him to his banishment from Iceland, used his exile as an opportunity to explore the seas. Around the year 982, he sailed to Greenland, a land previously visited by Snabjorn, but abandoned due to its brutal conditions. After rounding Cape Farewell, Erik found a part of the island with a more hospitable climate, similar to Iceland, and deemed it suitable for settlement. When Erik returned to Iceland, he spoke of his discoveries and with charismatic salesmanship, renamed the land Greenland to make it more appealing to potential settlers. The Norse people seeing an opportunity to claim land and become rich farmers, would organise a mass expedition to the land named Greenland. In the year 985, Erik returned to Greenland with a group of settlers. Of the twenty-five ships that set out, only fourteen arrived, yet they established two colonies, one in the eastern and one in the western part of the island. Although Erik Sunleaf is thought to have been the first European to set foot on continental America, he was not the first European to discover Vinland. That distinction belongs to Bjarni Helgjarson, who, while en route from Iceland to Greenland, was blown off course by wind and fog. Bjarni sighted an unknown coast, but mistakenly thinking it was part of Greenland, did not land. Upon returning to Iceland, he shared his tale, which sparked the interest of Leif Erikson. Leif, purchasing Bjarni's ship, then gathered a crew. He retraced Bjarni's route and arrived first at a barren rocky shore, which he named Heluland, which is likely Baffin Island. Continuing south, Leif found a forested region known as Markland. Further exploration led him to a lush area, which he named Vinland. Owing to the discovery of vines and grapes by his companion. In Vinland, Leif and his crew built a small settlement and spent the winter there before returning to Greenland in the spring with a cargo of timber and grapes. The successful voyage of Leif Erikson earned him the nickname Leif the Lucky. Though he never returned to Vinland, later expeditions from Greenland and Iceland would continue and a few daring explorers would attempt to settle in Vinland. I would like to thank Hungry Minds for sponsoring today's video. When the Vikings set out to rebuild civilization in Vinland, they could have saved themselves a lot of time and trouble with the ultimate guide to rebuilding a civilization. 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History Profile viewers can use the code HISTORYPROFILES10 for a 10% discount. When the Vikings set foot in Iceland, they encountered a land untouched by human hands, uninhabited and wild. Similarly, when they reached Greenland, they found a land equally desolate. It wasn't until the 13th century that the Thule Inuit were recorded as having landed in Greenland. While Leif Erikson himself had no direct contact with the indigenous peoples of Vinland, later Norse explorers did, referring to them as Skrælings, an ancient term meaning wretches. The saga of Erik the Red offers a vivid description of the native peoples of Vinland. The first encounter took place during a colonizing expedition led by Thorfinn Kjellsefni, accompanied by Leif's brother Thorvald. The saga recounts, they had established their settlement above a lake, with some dwellings further inland and others closer to the water. They remained there through the winter, where the land was free from snow, and their cattle grazed without the need for herders. As spring dawned, they saw a fleet of hide canoes approaching from the south, so numerous that the sea seemed dotted by bits of charcoal. A market was soon formed between the two peoples. The natives favored red cloth, which they exchanged for furs. They also wanted to buy swords and lances, but Kjellsefni forbade such a trade. The encounter took more of an ominous turn, when a bull belonging to Kjellsefni's group charged from the woods, bellowing loudly. Terrified, the Skrælings fled to their canoes and disappeared for three weeks, but when they returned, they came in overwhelming numbers, their canoes crowding the shore. Their weapons were now raised threateningly, and the air was filled with their war cries. The two groups clashed, exchanging a barrage of missiles. The Skrælings had war slings, and soon Kjellsefni's company saw them advancing with long poles, each bearing a large dark ball. The balls flew through the air, crashing to the ground with a deafening noise. This would strike fear into the Norsemen, and outnumbered, they retreated inland, eventually reaching a rocky outcrop where they made a stand. At this moment, Freydis, the daughter of Erik the Red emerged and scolded the men. She said, why do you flee from such worthless creatures, stout men that ye are, when I am sure you could defeat them as easily as cattle? Let me have a weapon, and I will fight better than any of you. Her words were ignored, but she pursued them nonetheless. Soon, she found the body of Thorbrand, Snorri's son, his skull crushed by a flat stone. Armed with his sword, she prepared to defend herself. When the Skrælings came upon her, she raised her tunic, striking her breast with the sword. The natives, frightened by this act, fled back to their boats and disappeared. Kjellsefni and his men praised her bravery, though the conflict had left two of their own dead, and four of the Skrælings were slain. Realising that they could never settle peacefully in Vinland while the natives were hostile, Kjellsefni and his group decided to depart. As they sailed north, they came upon five Skrælings near the shore. These natives were dressed in skins, and carried a chest containing animal marrow mixed with blood, suggesting they were outcasts. The Norsemen killed them, and as the group continued to explore, they encountered more Skrælings, including one bearded man, two women, and two children. The Norsemen captured the children, taught them their language, and baptised them. The children spoke of their people's rulers and kings, and described a land where people lived in caves and holes. Ultimately, the Vikings returned to Greenland and would never settle in Vinland. The saga's detailed accounts of these encounters with the Skrælings offer a glimpse into the complexities of early Norse exploration, and the challenges they faced when they first met the indigenous peoples of North America. The other account of the native peoples of Vinland is found in the Saga of the Greenlanders. It tells of Thorvald Erikson's journey, who was another son of Erik the Red and brother to Leif Erikson. Thorvald and his men readied their ship and set sail, though little was mentioned of their voyage until they arrived at Leif's already established settlement in Vinland. There, they safely docked their ship and spent a pleasant winter, surviving on fish. In the spring, Thorvald went exploring and sailed west. There, he found no signs of human habitation except for one cornshed. They returned to their camp for the winter. The next summer, Thorvald made explorations in the east and north of their camp, and at some point, the explorers disembarked into a pleasant forested area. As they approached this new land, bringing their ship close and setting a plank out to the shore, Thorvald accompanied by his men went inland remarking, Here it is beautiful, and here I would like to build my dwelling. However, as they returned to their ships, they discovered three skinned boats and nine men. The Vikings divided their group, capturing eight of the men, while one escaped on his canoe. They then killed the eight captives and returned to the cape and surveyed their surroundings. The Skrælings would soon return with a larger force to attack Thorvald and his men, and they would shoot a barrage of missiles and arrows at them. Thorvald would receive a fatal wound and was buried in Vinland. His death marked the end of his journey, but his companions would bury him in Vinland as he had instructed, and they erected a cross upon his grave. The sagas tell of the Vikings first encounters with the natives of Vinland, which were fraught with violence and animosity, often erupting into a brutal conflict. These hostile interactions ultimately compelled Thorfin to abandon his settlement, as even the smallest provocation seemed capable of igniting a fierce battle. As a result, the Norsemen never returned to Vinland, their dreams of settlement shattered. The saga of Erik the Red, thought to have been composed in the 13th century, was written nearly two centuries after the discovery of Vinland. Scholars have long debated the authenticity and historical accuracy of the tales within the saga of the Greenlanders. The exact date of its composition remains a topic of discussion, with some suggesting it was written at the dawn of the 13th century, while others place it later in the century, or even in the 14th century. Scholars have also sought to assess the credibility of the saga's various expedition accounts, often drawing comparisons between the saga of the Greenlanders and the saga of Erik the The name Vinland first appears in written records in the work of Adam of Bremen in the year 1075. Personally, I am inclined to believe that the Norsemen were indeed the first to discover Vinland. Their adventurous spirit as both raiders and explorers, coupled with their successful settlement of distant lands, speaks of their remarkable seafaring capabilities. Additionally, the references to Vinland in the sagas and by Adam of Bremen, further support the plausibility of this discovery. Given these factors, it seems reasonable to assume that the Norse reached Vinland where their encounters with the natives were likely marked by violence and conflict. I hope you all enjoyed the video. If you did, be sure to like, subscribe and share and I'll see you all soon for another history profile.