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The Eiríkssynir in Vínland : Family exploration or family myth?
journal contribution
posted on 2014-11-12, 14:07 authored by Pragya VohraIn the heart of modern-day Reykjavík, in front of one of the city’s most
imposing landmarks – Hallgrímskirkja – stands the statue of a Norse warrior, facing
out to sea, a gift from the United States of America to the people of Iceland, which
bears the inscription ‘LEIFR EIRICSSON, SON OF ICELAND, DISCOVERER OF
VÍNLAND...’ This reflection of popular belief establishes Leifr as the undisputed
discoverer of the new lands west of Greenland, and
more importantly as an enduring,
recognisable symbol of the western voyages of exploration and discovery undertaken
by the Norse around the turn of the last millennium, which resulted in the
establishment of what may legitimately be regarded
as the westernmost outposts of
European civilisation in the Medieval period. The two so-called ‘Vínland sagas’ –
Eiríks saga rauða
and
Grœnlendinga saga
– however, are not quite so clear about this
status accorded to Leifr; neither are they in agreement about the activities of the
brothers mentioned in the title. Nevertheless, there is a fair amount that these sagas do
agree on – that land
was
sighted west of Greenland circa 1000 AD, that Norsemen
from both Greenland and Iceland were involved in the attempt to explore and settle
this new land, and that the Vínland ‘experiment’ failed to crystallise into a new
Norse colony.
History
Citation
Viking and Medieval Scandinavia, 4, 2008, pp. 249 - 267Author affiliation
/Organisation/COLLEGE OF ARTS, HUMANITIES AND LAW/School of HistoryPublished in
Viking and Medieval ScandinaviaPublisher
Brepols Publisherissn
1782-7183Copyright date
2020Publisher DOI
Publisher version
http://brepols.metapress.com/content/T62M76814U315P63Notes
Full text of this item is not currently available on the LRA. The final published version may be available through the links above.Language
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