Vinland Saga’s

VINLAND SAGAS THE QUEST TO northwards AMERICA BY KAMALJOT BRAR 5206404 HISTORY 1F90 PREPARED FOR AARON RODENBURG 3, THURSDAY, 1000-1100 DUE OCTOBER 11th 2012, acquiesce OCTOBER 11th 2012 A saga is described to be a short trading floor with historical signifi bathce that summarizes in detail events that took place during a accredited period of judgment of conviction. In terms of Ancient Scandinavia and the Viking Age, sagas ar stories of navigates of Vikings that include subjects similar migration, battles, and family and inter-societal interactions.These sagas were written by unkn possess authors well afterward the actual events occurred. The Vinland Sagas translated by Keneva Kunz and edited by Gisli Sigurdsson includes 2 accounts of the Norse voyage to northeast the States The Saga of the Greenlanders and Eirik the Reds Saga. Both sagas help to describe the journey to run into North America. However, each tell the prose in a different perspective. The differences in th e midst of the two sagas include the initial accidental baring of lands air jacketside of Greenland, the uncovering of shift Point, and the voyage by Thorvald.On the other hand thither were excessively similar aspects of the sagas that include the way the western lands were discovered and named, the story screwing Leif and the shipwrecked crew, and the length of the voyages. While both(prenominal) sagas be detailing the events of the Icelandic migration to North America, they are not completely identical in the way the events are summarized. One difference surrounded by the two sagas is the initial breakthrough 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 commonwealth of fresh lands.Leif was the premier to venture to the West in hopes to find the lands he soon purchased Bjarnis ship and led on a voyage of his own with fellow companions. 1 However, Eirik the Reds Saga records the initial discovery of the new lands by the voyage by Karlsefni and Gudrid who were accompanied by Freydis, Thorvard, Thorvald, and Thorhall. 2 This shows the discrepancy between the sagas and interrogatorys validity of who actually found and named the lands. The 1 clog up up difference between the two accounts is the origin of Keel Point.The first saga tells the lecturer after Thorvalds ship was wrecked, he announced to his companions that the spot of this luckless event will be called Keel Point. 3 Instead, the mho saga reveals that Keel Point was just another piece of land named by Karlsefni and Gudrids voyage, after they witnessed seeing a keel of a boat rough 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 lead storys 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 sizeableness of Thorvald in the second saga makes historians believe that the writer of the first saga could bring been immediate 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 Bjarnis discovery of the lands to happen after his ship is blown off course to Greenland where he was going to encounter 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 Christi anity. This allows one to support 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 akin 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 shoes and sheltering them during the winter. 10 Thus, he gains the nickname Leif the Lucky. This similarity not only shines demoralize on Leif Eirikkson, but similarly helps to confirm Leifs 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 Leifs 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. Identically to Leif, Karlsefnis 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 ancestry in collateral 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 turn out 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 unitedly 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 literal pieces of evidence to the past. They are also import ant because it removes the stereotype of the Vikings beingness zip but pure savages. It shows that the Vikings were successful 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, Leifs 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, The Saga of the Greenlanders In The Vinland Sagas, trans. Keneva Kunz (London Penguin, 2008), 5-7. 2. Gisli Sigurdsson, Eirik the Reds Saga In The Vinland Sagas, trans. Keneva Kunz (London Penguin, 2008), 40-41. . Sigurdsson, Greenlanders, 10. 4. Sigurdsson, Eirik 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. Eirik the Reds Saga. In The Vinland Sagas. Translated by Keneva Kunz London Penguin, 2008. 23-51. Sigurdsson, Gisli. The Saga of the Greenlanders . In The Vinland Sagas. Translated by Keneva Kunz London Penguin, 2008. 1-23. 6