On We Sweep With Threshing Oar...

The Vikings in North America, Part I: Greenland

“The Hammer of the Gods,

will drive our ships to new lands,

to fight the horde and sing and cry,

Valhalla, I am coming.

On we sweep with threshing oar,

Our only goal will be the Western Shore…” Led Zeppelin, Immigrant Song

Aside from the obvious and tired tropes of the ruthless raider and brutal warrior, perhaps the trait most frequently associated with the medieval Norse people is their seafaring prowess. Images of their sleek ships and colorful sails grace everything from ancient artwork carved in stone to stylized, fanciful renditions on the cans of modern energy beverages. Without the cutting-edge technology of their shipbuilding and the boldness of their sailors, the Viking Age would simply never have occurred. Likewise, the Vikings’ most lauded achievement, the first European landfall on the North American Continent, via their prolific westward expansion, would also never have made history. In this series of articles, we are going to join them on their voyages across treacherous seas and be the first to witness the mysterious coastlines of new lands alongside them. We’ll learn a bit about the explorers who made such voyages, why they made them, and what sort of legacy, both physical and cultural, they left behind.