Advertisement
Published: June 12th 2017
Edit Blog Post
It is tempting to think that a bunch of half starved, frozen, lost and crazy Viking sailors landed by chance on the Northernmost tip of Newfoundland some 1,000 years ago, after a harrowing haphazard voyage through Ice Berg alley. But no! You would be wrong! After half an hour at the historical exhibit and archeological dig at L'Anse aux Meadows (a corruption of "the Cove of Medea" in French) it becomes clear that this settlement was intentional. The cove where those Vikings pulled in is calm and sheltered from the sea, in spite of the fierce wind that was blowing when we were there. The location has the kind of ancient peat that yields iron when heated and treated in the iron smelter and forge which they built. They have found iron nails made from iron that is not European. Newfoundland is covered in forests, which makes sense for Vikings based in Greenland, who needed to fix their wooden boats. Many Norse artefacts have been discovered here, including a bone knitting needle and part of a spindle, which seems to indicate women lived there as well. Hunting and fishing was easy, in summer. There seem to have been few aboriginal inhabitants
-- something which may have changed later and forced their departure. The digs show the settlement was continuous, and lasted about 10 years. At its peak, it could have supported a population of some 50 - 100 people. The Vikings' departure was also intentional, as they set fire to their dwellings and took most of their belongings. Our great finds are their trash... Parks Canada has done a great job in reconstructing a longhouse, and in filling it with skins and shields, nice warm fires and stand-in Vikings with beards and caps. All very convincing.
The site was discovered in 1960 by Helge Ingstad, a Norwegian writer and explorer. He identified the location, based on his reading of the Sagas and of Norwegian historians. The Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Eric the Red both mention the discovery of Vinland, which he felt was in the mouth of the St Lawrence river. When he arrived in Northern Labrador and started to ask around, he was led to "the old Indian camp" which turned out to be the Viking settlement. The archaeological study of the site was headed by his wife, Inge Stine Ingstad. While a lot remains
vague, the fact remains -- the Vikings were actually here, 1,000 years ago...
That evening I joined up with the two women tourists I had met at Red Bay and a bunch of locals at a long table in a small crowded restaurant up close to the Vikings. The food was fish and music was local Newfie ditties and Kris Kristofferson songs by a live guitarist who also rode a Harley. Yes, I got his CD. One woman at our table was from Labrador and told the story of her mother who lives on an island off the coast. Seems the population is now only 10 people and is becoming untenable, so the Government had a referendum to see whether the village should be resettled. Everyone voted to leave, except for her mom. That meant that they didn’t get the over 90% approval from the population, which is required. We all wondered what would happen? That evening’s ride home was memorable for being so cold, and so beautiful, just as the sun was going down. Moose showed up at the side of the road twice – but I can recognize those critters now and avoided getting smashed.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.043s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 11; qc: 25; dbt: 0.0206s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1mb
Harry
non-member comment
A biking Viking meets his ancestors.
Probably his ancestors appreciate the arrival of their prodigal son. And would appreciate the class of his new ship.