DK Eyewitness Books - Viking

20

Discovering new lands

TȩȦȷȪȬȪȯȨȴȸȦȳȦȥȢȳȪȯȨȦȹȱȭȰȳȦȳȴ. In search of new land,

they sailed their slender ships into the frozen, uncharted waters

of the North Atlantic. Most of the explorers came from Norway,

where the valleys were crowded and farmland was scarce. They

discovered the Faroe Islands and Iceland, as well as far-off

Greenland and the land they called Vinland (North America).

As reports of these exciting discoveries got back to Scandinavia,

ships full of eager settlers set sail. Between 870 and 930, for

example, more than 10,000 Vikings arrived in Iceland. They

found empty spaces, wild forests, and seas teeming with fish.

The sea voyages were long and dangerous, and many ships sank

in storms. But the urge to travel to new lands remained strong.

GREEN AND RED
A man named Gunnbjörn found Greenland
after his ship was blown off course in a
storm. The huge island was explored in
984 and 985 by Erik the Red, a chief who
had been accused of murder and forced to
leave Iceland. Erik encouraged hundreds
of Icelanders to settle in Greenland.

Iceland

Iceland is a volcanic island that was first

colonized in 870. In good weather it took seven

days to get there from Norway. The first

settler was Ingolf, from Sunnfjord, Norway.

He built a large farm on a bay overlooking

the sea. This later became the capital,

Reykjavik. The settlers raised sheep and

used local iron and soapstone to make

weapons and cooking pots. Soon they

were exporting these natural resources,

along with woolen and linen cloth.

MEETINGS IN THE PLAIN

In southwestern Iceland is a

high plain surrounded by

cliffs of lava. This plain, called

Thingvellir, was chosen as the

site for the Althing, Iceland’s

governing assembly, which

met once a year in the open

air. The Althing is thought to

have first met in 930.

CARIBOU KILLS CARIBOU

These arrowheads from

Greenland are carved

from caribou antler.

Iron was very scarce,

so weapons had to be

made from the materials

on hand. Caribou were a

major source of food,

and the settlers may

have used these arrows

to hunt them.

FIRE AND ICE LAND

Iceland’s interior is harsh

and inhospitable, with jagged

mountains, glaciers, and several

active volcanoes. But the coast is green

and fertile. In the Viking Age, there were

also extensive forests between the mountains

and the sea. By 930 the coast was densely populated.

The interior was never really inhabited.

HELGE’S ANIMALS
This elegant piece of carved wood
was discovered in the ruins of a house in
Greenland. It dates from the 11th century.
It may be the arm of a chair, or a tiller used to
steer a boat. The surface is carved with animals
with big eyes that look like cats. A runic inscription at
the end probably proclaims the owner’s name, Helge.

Faxa Fjord

Thingvellir

(Plain of

the Althing)

Mt. Hekla

(volcano)

Reykjavik

s

s

Vatna Jökull

(huge glacier)

ICELAND