The Vikings and America

Ancient Peoples and Places

by Erik Wahlgren

Did Vinland, that mysterious "land of grapevines" that the Viking Leif Eriksson discovered and christened almost a thousand years ago, ever exist? Do the clues in the sagas of a North American location point to a specific place on a modern map? How much more of the New World may these pre-Columbian adventurers have explored? Drawing upon the clues found in ancient manuscripts and a deep knowledge of the historical and archaeological evidence, Wahlgren addresses these questions in a marvelously readable account. Excavations at L'Anse aux Meadows in northern Newfoundland show that the Vikings did indeed reach the North American continent around A.D.1000, presumably from their base in Southern Greenland. Other supposed Viking discoveries such as the Kensington Stone are dismissed as frauds, but legitimate finds from Arctic Canada to New England suggest Viking exploration far to the north and the south. Eventually, a worsening climate and attacks by native peoples ended the first European presence in the New World.

Genres: History

Paperback

First published May 1, 1986

Reviews

[Speesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned from this book; that the author is a bit of a know-it-all. He's clearly a very educated, and educated in all things Norse and Viking, man. He clearly knows his Viking onions. He has his opinions and his opinions are the right ones. His opinions are in fact, fact. There are of course, other theories concerning the Viking presence in north America, but he doesn't vare for them and is dismissive of the majority of them. And this 'I'm right, they/everyone else is wrong' attitude, whilst being able to back the vast majority of it up with facts, does grate. I would have liked him to have at least written as if he was a little bit more 'open'.
The best section of the book, in my opinion, was where he presents his theories on where Leif Eriksson's 'Vinland' settlement could well have been (given that whilst L'Anse aux Meadows does show (continued) Viking presence in America, it isn't Leif's 'Vinland'). This was very interesting and well presented. I'd certainly have liked him to have developed it a lot more.
For a much more well-rounded (and up-to-date) presentation of the Vikings in America, you should read the aptly titled 'Vikings in America', by Graeme Davis.