How did the Viking settlers survive in Greenland?

The first Europeans credited with discovering Greenland were Vikings who ventured across the North Atlantic Ocean from their settlements in Iceland. These fearless seafarers, known as Norsemen or Norse settlers, played a crucial role in the history of Greenland.

(A map showing the first three landing sites of Vikings in Greenland)

The Vikings arrived in Greenland around the 10th century AD, led by Erik the Red. This famous Viking was banished from Norway for killing the wrong person and chose to resettle in Iceland. It didn’t take long for Erik to make enemies in his new home and he was once again banished from Iceland for killing someone he shouldn’t have. This time he chose to travel north and found himself and his supporters in a new mysterious land. They established two main settlements, known as Eastern Settlement (also called Eystribyggð) and Western Settlement (also called Vestribyggð). These settlements were located on the southern and western coasts of present-day Greenland.

The Norse settlers relied heavily on their maritime skills and knowledge of navigation to survive in this harsh environment. There was no suitable farmland to grow any crops, so everything had to come from the sea. Without the huge amounts of meat and oil something like a whale could provide, it would have been impossible to make it through the colder months when the sea froze.

Hunting mostly consisted of sea mammals, as larger prey like musk ox and caribou can only be found in specific areas of Greenland, none of which were near the early Viking settlements. Due to the lack of any kind of farmland, the diet of a settler would be heavily fish-based, with whale, seal, Narwhal, walrus, and any coastal birds they could catch making up everything in their diet they didn’t have to trade for.

Trade was also an essential aspect of survival for the Greenlandic Vikings, and they established connections with neighboring Inuit and Icelandic communities. This interaction allowed them to acquire essential resources like furs, grain, metals, and other goods that were not readily available in Greenland. The only problem with this is that Greenland is a big place and it could take several weeks to complete a trade mission with a local tribe, but with the thick ice forming around the coast during the winter, this meant trade could only be done during the summer months.

However, despite initial success, the Viking presence in Greenland gradually declined. Factors such as changing climate patterns, dwindling resources, conflicts with Indigenous populations, and a lack of contact with mainland Europe contributed to the eventual abandonment of these settlements by the 15th century, but the single biggest problem came with supporting a large population.

People who live in Greenland today can have goods delivered most of the year and have the advantage of electricity and communications. This allows them to stockpile food and call for help if something happens, but none of this was available to the Vikings. They had to rely on sea mammals and even though these would provide a huge amount of meat, they couldn’t be caught on a regular basis, and trying to support a large town in the hope of catching a whale once a week when the seas were frozen wasn’t realistic.

Initially, it looked like a good place to settle, as there was a huge amount of unclaimed land with large mountain ranges that could contain valuable mineral deposits. This initial attraction is what caused Erik the Red to leave Iceland with a fleet of 25 ships, only to lose 11 of them in the voyage. After word of how difficult it was to live here spread, very few people made the journey in comparison to everywhere else the Vikings landed, and the territory didn’t suffer a single major invasion.

Today, archaeological evidence provides valuable insights into the lives of these early Vikings in Greenland. Excavations have unearthed artifacts such as tools, weapons, jewelry, and building remnants – all providing glimpses into their daily lives and cultural practices.

The story of the first Vikings in Greenland is a testament to human resilience and exploration during a time when long-distance travel was considered perilous. Their legacy continues to fascinate historians and archaeologists alike as they left an indelible mark on this remote Arctic land.