Greenland was discovered by chance in the 10th century AD by Vikings sailing from Norway to Iceland. The Vikings were people of European descent, especially the Danes and Norse, who were indomitable explorers, sailors, shipbuilders, marauders and pirates. Some 500 years before Christopher Columbus circumnavigated the world, Vikings had crossed the oceans – and settled in Greenland.
Around 980 AD, Erik the Red, a Viking who was expelled from Iceland for murder, decided to leave Iceland and lead explorers to Greenland. Back then, that was the definition of remote. It is the largest non-continental island in the world. More than 80% of the land is 3 km thick ice. When Eric and his crew arrived, they could see nothing but a massive wall of ice. Eventually they found an ice-free bay with some greenery. Despite the harsh conditions of the land, they saw an opportunity and decided to stay.
They eventually founded two Viking settlements. At the southern tip of the island there is Eystribyggð or the eastern settlement, and near the modern capital Nuuk, 700 km to the north, there is Vestribyggð or the western settlement. According to archaeological findings, despite the harsh environment and cold weather of the Nordic Vikings, the summer temperature can be as low as “warm” -30 degrees Celsius!
Their economy is a mix of hunting, ranching and farming. While the men were hunting, the women sprinkled dung into the soil to make it more fertile. Over time, hundreds of farms scattered across the land, producing grains and dairy products like cheese and milk.
There was a period of frenzied building activity, with people building churches, mansions, great homesteads, and more. From excursions to what is now Newfoundland, they have furs, hardwoods, ivory, and more. They imported delicacies such as steel, glass and wine from Europe. Greenland’s enormous wealth has led to this rapid expansion, thanks to the fact that they have more of one high-demand commodity than anywhere else in the world: walruses.
In the Middle Ages, walruses were most coveted for their tusks, which can be over a meter long and weigh five kilograms or more. Ivory is highly prized and coveted for carvings and other handicrafts. Depending on the tax payment (Greenland pays its Norwegian king), the ivory is worth more than all the wool of 4,000 Icelandic farms, or the price of more than 800 cows. This booming economy, also fueled by the narwhal ivory they sell as “unicorn” horn, is drawing more people to Greenland.
However, despite prosperity and relative peace, the Vikings disappeared from western settlements by the mid-13th century. By 1408, the remaining Vikings had either disappeared or been forgotten in time. No one seems to know why, but theories include climate change, the effects of cultural and physical isolation, the rise of cheaper and more accessible Indian ivory, and conflict with indigenous Inuit tribes.
Although the Greenland Viking settlement ultimately collapsed and failed, it did demonstrate the resilience of humans to live and thrive in strange places under the harshest conditions.
Directed by: Paul Cooper
