The Eiríkssynir in Vínland : Family exploration or family myth?
Full text of this item is not currently available on the LRA. The final published version may be available through the links above. In 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,...
Published in: | Viking and Medieval Scandinavia |
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Language: | English |
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2014
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Online Access: | http://brepols.metapress.com/content/T62M76814U315P63 http://hdl.handle.net/2381/29267 https://doi.org/10.1484/J.VMS.1.100314 |
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ftleicester:oai:lra.le.ac.uk:2381/29267 2023-05-15T16:27:11+02:00 The Eiríkssynir in Vínland : Family exploration or family myth? Vohra, Pragya 2014-11-12T14:07:28Z http://brepols.metapress.com/content/T62M76814U315P63 http://hdl.handle.net/2381/29267 https://doi.org/10.1484/J.VMS.1.100314 en eng Brepols Publisher Viking and Medieval Scandinavia, 4, 2008, pp. 249 - 267 1782-7183 http://brepols.metapress.com/content/T62M76814U315P63 http://hdl.handle.net/2381/29267 doi:10.1484/J.VMS.1.100314 Copyright © 20209, Brepols Publishing. 10000-01-01 Journal Article Article 2014 ftleicester https://doi.org/10.1484/J.VMS.1.100314 2019-03-22T20:19:28Z Full text of this item is not currently available on the LRA. The final published version may be available through the links above. In 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. Article in Journal/Newspaper Greenland Iceland Reykjavík Reykjavík University of Leicester: Leicester Research Archive (LRA) Reykjavík Greenland Viking and Medieval Scandinavia 4 249 267 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Leicester: Leicester Research Archive (LRA) |
op_collection_id |
ftleicester |
language |
English |
description |
Full text of this item is not currently available on the LRA. The final published version may be available through the links above. In 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. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Vohra, Pragya |
spellingShingle |
Vohra, Pragya The Eiríkssynir in Vínland : Family exploration or family myth? |
author_facet |
Vohra, Pragya |
author_sort |
Vohra, Pragya |
title |
The Eiríkssynir in Vínland : Family exploration or family myth? |
title_short |
The Eiríkssynir in Vínland : Family exploration or family myth? |
title_full |
The Eiríkssynir in Vínland : Family exploration or family myth? |
title_fullStr |
The Eiríkssynir in Vínland : Family exploration or family myth? |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Eiríkssynir in Vínland : Family exploration or family myth? |
title_sort |
eiríkssynir in vínland : family exploration or family myth? |
publisher |
Brepols Publisher |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
http://brepols.metapress.com/content/T62M76814U315P63 http://hdl.handle.net/2381/29267 https://doi.org/10.1484/J.VMS.1.100314 |
geographic |
Reykjavík Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Reykjavík Greenland |
genre |
Greenland Iceland Reykjavík Reykjavík |
genre_facet |
Greenland Iceland Reykjavík Reykjavík |
op_relation |
Viking and Medieval Scandinavia, 4, 2008, pp. 249 - 267 1782-7183 http://brepols.metapress.com/content/T62M76814U315P63 http://hdl.handle.net/2381/29267 doi:10.1484/J.VMS.1.100314 |
op_rights |
Copyright © 20209, Brepols Publishing. 10000-01-01 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1484/J.VMS.1.100314 |
container_title |
Viking and Medieval Scandinavia |
container_volume |
4 |
container_start_page |
249 |
op_container_end_page |
267 |
_version_ |
1766016278056665088 |