3 ms·

Hardly rewrite, but extend existing knowledge and confirm the veracity of the Sagas

by easytiger 11y ago

cmrdporcupine 11y ago
Indeed. The sagas describe the discovered land as Vinland because they found wild grapes growing everywhere. Which does not describe Newfoundland, especially not the northern tip of it where the L'anse aux Meadows sits. (I've been there. It's cold and desolate. We watched icebergs float around 100 feet from the shore). But up the gulf of St Lawrence a bit you'll find wild populations of vitis riparia growing like crazy. Given this new site shows them as having traversed the western shore of Newfoundland and mined iron, presumably for the purpose of producing nails to build ships, I can't see why they would not have gone further up the gulf of St Lawrence, maybe as far as modern day Quebec City or Montreal. It would be interesting to know what historical levels of the river was at that time. Maybe archaeological evidence is underwater.
- alephnil 11y ago
  The sagas was also mostly written down in the 11th century, long time after the event, based on the oral tradition. Although they put more pride into retelling stories accuratly back then, it is not unlikely that the details had altered during that period. There are many other sides of the sagas that have proven inaccurate. For the sea level, this is areas that was covered by ice during the last ice age, and these areas have been rising since then. Some areas, like around the Botnian Sea, is still rising even today, so archaeological sites that was on the seashore will be there or slightly inland.
  - cmrdporcupine 11y ago
    Eastern North America is the genetic centre of diversity for the Vitis genus, and the likely ancestral origin of it. So it is somewhat fitting that the Norse explorers named it Vinland and explicitly called it out as something they observed.

3 ms·

Hardly rewrite, but extend existing knowledge and confirm the veracity of the Sagas

by easytiger 11y ago

Hardly rewrite, but extend existing knowledge and confirm the veracity of the Sagas

cmrdporcupine 11y ago
Indeed. The sagas describe the discovered land as Vinland because they found wild grapes growing everywhere. Which does not describe Newfoundland, especially not the northern tip of it where the L'anse aux Meadows sits. (I've been there. It's cold and desolate. We watched icebergs float around 100 feet from the shore). But up the gulf of St Lawrence a bit you'll find wild populations of vitis riparia growing like crazy. Given this new site shows them as having traversed the western shore of Newfoundland and mined iron, presumably for the purpose of producing nails to build ships, I can't see why they would not have gone further up the gulf of St Lawrence, maybe as far as modern day Quebec City or Montreal. It would be interesting to know what historical levels of the river was at that time. Maybe archaeological evidence is underwater.
- alephnil 11y ago
  The sagas was also mostly written down in the 11th century, long time after the event, based on the oral tradition. Although they put more pride into retelling stories accuratly back then, it is not unlikely that the details had altered during that period. There are many other sides of the sagas that have proven inaccurate. For the sea level, this is areas that was covered by ice during the last ice age, and these areas have been rising since then. Some areas, like around the Botnian Sea, is still rising even today, so archaeological sites that was on the seashore will be there or slightly inland.
  - cmrdporcupine 11y ago
    Eastern North America is the genetic centre of diversity for the Vitis genus, and the likely ancestral origin of it. So it is somewhat fitting that the Norse explorers named it Vinland and explicitly called it out as something they observed.