Since Individual 1 has put Greenland unexpectedly in the news for us, I thought to write a bit about the country. As a Minnesotan who is fully half Norwegian, I find the history of Greenland to be especially interesting.
Today Greenland is a sovereign territory of the country of Denmark. The population is around 56000, according to Wikipedia, which is 88% Inuit (including Inuit-Danish) and 12% Danish. The original settlers, however, were not Danish but Norwegians, mostly from Iceland, some from Norway. A group of settlers in 14 ships, led by Erik the Red (Erik Thorvaldsson) settled on Greenland in the year 985. This original colony lasted until the latter half of the 15th century, when all the colonists “mysteriously” vanished. (In reality, there was not so much mystery about it. Life there just got too hard, for various reasons, and the people left. There was not a big mass die-off or migration, so the whole thing sort of went unnoticed at the time.) The Danish re-settled the place in the 18th century.
Now I am no historian, so I am writing off the top of my head here, looking up information as I go along, so bear with me. Feel free to correct me if I get anything wrong.
I first became interested in Greenland as a young girl, after I read Anya Seton’s classic historical novel Avalon. Her heroine Merewyn (a real historical person whose father was Ketil whom Ketilsfjord, now Tasermiut Fjord, in Greenland was named for), was part of the group of settlers in 985. Anya Seton had that effect on a lot of young girls — her novels were excellently researched, and fired enthusiasm for the various historical periods she wrote about, and a desire to know more.
This original Norwegian settlement, in one of the most challenging environments on Earth, lasted over 400 years. My readings in various places have called it a “failed colony”. Well I guess that depends on your definition of the word “failed”. By my lights, with a run of over 400 years, they had a a better run than these United States so far, even if you go back to Plymouth Rock.
Interestingly enough, the name “Greenland” was a scam perpetrated by Erik the Red. When he was trying to get would-be colonists together to go settle the place, he called it “Greenland” implying that this place which was pretty much a frozen wasteland was temperate and good for growing crops. What kept the colony going for hundreds of years was mostly the trade in walrus ivory, although there was grazing and homesteading done. The Black Death in Europe, the “Little Ice Age” which made the climate even colder, and new sources of ivory from Africa were part of the reason the colony eventually disbanded.
Some people have speculated that there was conflict with the Inuit population which arrived a century or two after the Norwegians, but there seems to be no evidence of this.
Here are a couple of informative links I enjoyed.
Erik the Red
The Fate of Greenland's Vikings
Smithsonian Magazine - why Greenland's Vikings Vanished