Vinland sagas

Uncommon card · No. 171880

The Vinland sagas are two Icelandic texts written independently of each other in the early 13th century—the Saga of the Greenlanders (Grænlendinga Saga) and the Saga of Erik the Red (Eiríks Saga Rauða). The sagas were written down between 1220 and 1280 and describe events occurring around 970–1030. The Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Erik the Red both contain different accounts of Norse voyages to Vinland. The name Vinland, meaning 'Wineland', is attributed to the discovery of grapevines upon the arrival of Leif Erikson in North America. However, the translation of vin meaning wine is not the only possible origin; some scholars believe it refers to pasture or meadow. The Vinland sagas represent the most complete information available regarding the Norse exploration of the Americas, although due to Iceland's oral tradition, they cannot be deemed completely historically accurate and include contradictory details, such as who first sighted land, as well as the number of voyages taken...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Carl Rasmussen, Public domain