Vinland Saga’s

VINLAND SAGAS: THE QUEST TO NORTH AMERICA BY: KAMALJOT BRAR 5206404 HISTORY 1F90 PREPARED FOR: AARON RODENBURG 3, THURSDAY, 1000-1100 DUE: OCTOBER 11th 2012, SUBMIT: OCTOBER 11th 2012 A saga is described to be a short story with historical significance that summarizes in detail events that took place during a certain period of time. In terms of Ancient Scandinavia and the Viking Age, sagas are stories of voyages of Vikings that include subjects like migration, battles, and family and inter-societal interactions.These sagas were written by unknown authors well after the actual events occurred. The Vinland Sagas translated by Keneva Kunz and edited by Gisli Sigurdsson includes two accounts of the Norse voyage to North America; The Saga of the Greenlanders and Eirik the Red’s Saga. Both sagas help to describe the journey to discover North America. However, each tell the prose in a different perspective. The differences between the two sagas include the initial accidental discover y of lands west of Greenland, the discovery of Keel Point, and the voyage by Thorvald.On the other hand there were also similar aspects of the sagas that include the way the western lands were discovered and named, the story behind Leif and the shipwrecked crew, and the length of the voyages. While both sagas are detailing the events of the Icelandic migration to North America, they are not completely identical in the way the events are summarized. One difference between the two sagas is the initial discovery of the lands to the west of Greenland. In The Saga of the Greenlanders, after Bjarni initially noticed the lands to the west, curiosity spread amongst the people of new lands.Leif was the first to venture to the West in hopes to find the lands; he soon purchased Bjarni’s ship and led on a voyage of his own with fellow companions. 1 However, Eirik the Red’s Saga records the initial discovery of the new lands by the voyage by Karlsefni and Gudrid who were accompanie d by Freydis, Thorvard, Thorvald, and Thorhall. 2 This shows the discrepancy between the sagas and questions validity of who actually found and named the lands. The 1 second difference between the two accounts is the origin of Keel Point.The first saga tells the reader after Thorvald’s ship was wrecked, he announced to his companions that the spot of this unfortunate event will be called Keel Point. 3 Instead, the second saga reveals that Keel Point was just another piece of land named by Karlsefni and Gudrid’s voyage, after they witnessed seeing a keel of a boat around that area. 4 This difference outlines the different perspective the writers had in the story, it forces one to question the meaning of that ship wreck. Another difference is the role of Thorvald, and how it differs between the two sagas.Thorvald in the first saga is seen more independent as he leads his own voyage with his own companions after he thinks Leif did an inadequate job in exploring Vinland. 5 His role in the second saga is altered. He does not lead his own voyage, instead travels along with Karlsefni and Gudrid during their voyage to Vinland. 6 The less importance of Thorvald in the second saga makes historians believe that the writer of the first saga could have been closer to Thorvald which gives him more of an image. Along with the differences, the sagas do have many details of the voyages that can be closely comparable.In both the sagas the reader is told about the discovery of the lands west of Greenland by an accidental occurrence. The first saga describes Bjarni’s discovery of the lands to happen after his ship is blown off course to Greenland where he was going to meet with his father. 7 This is similar to the second saga where Leif finds Vinland by chance, when he is tossed about in the sea while on his way to Greenland to spread Christianity. This allows one to validate the route taken by the voyagers to North America. Another similarity between the two accounts is the story about Leif and how he earned the nickname Lucky.In the first saga, Leif comes across a group of stranded men 8 2 on a skerry and ends up rescuing fifteen of them. 9 This story is alike to the one from the second saga. Leif on his way to Greenland comes across a shipwreck, where he finds men in trouble; he ends up taking them home and sheltering them during the winter. 10 Thus, he gains the nickname Leif the Lucky. This similarity not only shines light on Leif Eirikkson, but also helps to confirm Leif’s voyage to Greenland, since both the accounts agree upon the event.The last similarity is the close connection between the lengths of the voyages. During Leif’s voyage in the first saga it is said that the time spent at sea between one point to another was two days. From Markland to the discovery of Vinland it took Leif two days at sea. 11 Likewise in the second saga the voyage of Karlsefni and Gudrid had similar lengths to the voyage of Leif. Ident ically to Leif, Karlsefni’s voyage from Markland to Vinland also took two days at sea. 12 Since both sagas describe the oyages to have taken the some amount of time, it allows historians to value this source in validating the discovery of the lands because there is no discrepancy between the length of time spent at sea. As a secondary source The Vinland Sagas prove to be a valuable piece of history. Not only because the sagas are the only account available from the 11th and 12th century, but that the accounts together help to piece together the voyages made by the Vikings to America. Together the sagas compliment each other because they help to give different perspective of the Vikings discovery.Since there are many similarities between the two, it allows historians to infer that the sagas truly are factual pieces of evidence to the past. They are also important because it removes the stereotype of the Vikings being nothing but pure savages. It shows that the Vikings were suc cessful pioneers and made profound discoveries 3 In conclusion the sagas hold both differences and similarities. The differences they had was the person who initially had discovered and named the new found land, the origin of the place called Keel Point, and the role of Thorvald as a voyager.In contrast the similarities they held included the naming and way the lands were discovered, Leif’s reputation of being Lucky, and the identical travel time on sea. Although the sagas may fluctuate with the differences and similarities, this source of history is still very feasible and valuable when looking back to the 11th and 12th century during the Viking Age. 4 Notes 1. Gisli Sigurdsson, â€Å"The Saga of the Greenlanders† In The Vinland Sagas, trans. Keneva Kunz (London: Penguin, 2008), 5-7. 2. Gisli Sigurdsson, â€Å"Eirik the Red’s Saga† In The Vinland Sagas, trans. Keneva Kunz (London: Penguin, 2008), 40-41. . Sigurdsson, Greenlanders, 10. 4. Sigurdsson, Eiri k the Red, 41. 5. Sigurdsson, Greenlanders, 9-10. 6. Sigurdsson, Eirik the Red, 40. 7. Sigurdsson, Greenlanders, 4. 8. Sigurdsson, Eirik the Red, 34-35. 9. Sigurdsson, Greenlanders, 8-9. 10. Sigurdsson, Eirik the Red, 35. 11. Sigurdsson, Greenlanders, 6. 12. Sigurdsson, Eirik the Red, 41. 5 Bibliography Sigurdsson, Gisli. â€Å"Eirik the Red's Saga. † In The Vinland Sagas. Translated by Keneva Kunz London: Penguin, 2008. 23-51. Sigurdsson, Gisli. â€Å"The Saga of the Greenlanders . † In The Vinland Sagas. Translated by Keneva Kunz London: Penguin, 2008. 1-23. 6