THE VIKINGS MEET THE NATIVE AMERICAN (SKRAELINGS)

Over a thousand years ago, the Norse people—commonly known as Vikings—expanded their settlements west from Scandinavia to Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, and North America, where the Norse encountered Native Americans whom they called Skraelings.

The Scandinavian sagas describe a number of conflicts with the Skraelings. The term Norse saga means both “what is said” and “story, tale, or narrative.”

Although the sagas were written down, they were originally oral histories, and their accuracy in describing historical events is hotly debated by scholars.

There was a time when many historians doubted that the Scandinavians had explored North America, but archaeology has verified the existence of a permanent Scandinavian camp at L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, and there is evidence of other camps and settlements.

While the Norse are often stereotyped as fierce warriors who raided monasteries and towns, that is not how they saw themselves.

The name Viking refers to a single Scandinavian activity: raiding. The Norse were also traders, farmers, shipbuilders, explorers, merchants, craftsmen, and statesmen.

In his article published in Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga, William Fitzhugh writes:

“Despite their reputation as shipbuilders, sailors, and warriors, the Norse identified themselves as farmers rather than fishermen, hunters, trappers, or traders, even though some Vikings might spend considerable periods of the year engaged in these tasks.”

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Norse Sagas and Native Americans


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The Series: VIKING: Ubbe Meets the Native Americans

Norse Sagas and Native Americans

At L’Anse aux Meadows, there is little evidence of contact between the Norse and the Native Americans.

However, if we move from archaeology to the sagas, we find that the Norse did have some contact.

The Icelandic sagas are based on oral traditions.

They recount events that took place between 930 and 1030, a period known as the söguöld (Saga Age) in Icelandic history.

The stories describe voyages, migrations, and feuds. The sagas are focused on history, particularly genealogy and family history. Sometime after 1190, these stories were written down in Old Norse.

According to the sagas, the Norse built dwellings and stayed at Hop during the winter. They let their livestock graze freely without guards. In the spring, a large number of canoes appeared, and a market was held where the Norse traded fabric for furs and Native American clothing.

While the Skraelings wanted to trade for iron swords and spears, Karlsefni and Freydis did not allow it.

At one point during the market, a bull belonging to Karlsefni ran out of the woods.

The Skraelings viewed this as a threat and left in a hurry.

Three weeks later, a large group of Skraelings appeared, and a battle with the Norse ensued.

During the first attack, the Skraelings pushed the Norse back, but Freydis, who was pregnant, took a sword from a dead Norse warrior, struck her bare chest, and counter-attacked, driving the Skraelings away.

After the battle, the Norse decided it was not a good place to settle, so they left.

Karlsefni headed south with forty men for about two months. They reported seeing only wilderness and returned home.

While the sagas provide us with some possible clues as to the locations of Scandinavian sites in North America, there is also some confusing information.

The archaeological data from L’Anse aux Meadows and the description of the hops in the saga seem to indicate that there should be a Norse site along the St. Lawrence River.

However, the saga indicates that the Skraelings used skin-covered canoes, which could suggest that Inuit watercraft were coming from further north.

This may indicate:

• That indigenous watercraft in this part of North America changed over the six centuries between the first contact with the Norse and later contact with Europeans.

• That the Norse saga was mistaken about the covering used on the canoes.

The Series: VIKING: Ubbe Meets the Native Americans

Ubbe (played by Jordan Patrick Smith), the son of Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), was able to fulfill his father’s dream of locating the “Golden Land.”

Fans are eager to know exactly where he and the rest of the group, including his wife Torvi (Georgia Hirst), ended up.

Ubbe and Torvi had traveled to Iceland with Kjetill Flatnose (Adam Copeland) and Othere (Ray Stevenson), but they realized the land was not suitable for establishing a new settlement.

They took their boat back out to sea in search of a new land, and they finally got lucky.

The settlers decided to name the land “Greenland” as a joke, as there was actually no greenery in sight.

Ubbe, Torvi, and the others did not stay long, as Kjetill’s thirst for power drove them from that desolate land, and they were forced to take to the sea once again.

Just when they thought all was lost and they were certainly going to die in the ocean, Ubbe spotted some mountains in the distance.

Finally, the group had stumbled upon the fertile land Othere had told them about—the land Ragnar had wanted so much to find.

The name of this land was never revealed in the series, and fans have been keen to know where they ended up.

Ubbe and the rest of the group discovered a new tribe there, and some believe they landed in North America.

These are Native Americans with Native American tattoos, Indian headdresses, and Indian bags.

The indigenous tribe does its best to welcome Ubbe, Torvi, and the others despite the expected communication difficulties.

Of course, one wonders if these are the first Europeans the tribe has come into contact with.

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