The voyage of the replica Viking longship Gaia to Newfounland on August 2, 1991

[abqtommy]

How cool is this? Very much so, in my opinion.

From The good News Network: Good News in History, August 2 (2021)

30 years ago today, the Viking replica longship ‘Gaia‘ reached the first Norse settlement in North America, commemorating the 1,000th anniversary of Leif Eriksson’s landing, after crossing from Norway.

Eriksson was a Norse explorer from Iceland, credited with being the first European to set foot on the continent, having landed in Newfoundland. Gaia was built in Bjorkedalen, Norway, to be a replica of the original 890 AD Gokstad Ship which successfully made the voyage, but was only unearthed 140 years ago.

Gaia later made the journey to New York via Greenland and Canada, and she sailed on to Rio de Janeiro to mark the first UN World Conference on the Environment.

In 1993 she returned to Norway and was given as a gift to the town of Sandefjord (where the original ship was excavated). Since then, Gaia has been in frequent use, visiting ports in England, Scotland, Germany, France, and The Netherlands.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/events060802/

There's a little more text, photos, artwork and a video available at the above link. I remember
reading about this back in 1991 but now I get to bookmark it.

[Apollo Zeus]

1. L'Anse aux Meadows

>The earliest evidence of occupation dates from roughly 6,000 years ago, with the most prominent period of prior Norse settlement, dating to the Dorset people, a Paleo-Eskimo culture.

A study of the Norse architectural type, artifacts, and carbon dating suggests that the Norse settled at L’Anse aux Meadows around AD 990–1050. Archaeologists suggest that the settlement served as an exploratory base and winter camp, with industrial activity for iron production and woodworking, likely used for ship repair.<

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/01/lanse-aux-meadows-the-viking-settlement-in-canada/136630

I have been researching this period trying to connect indigenous prophecy to Norse saga. The Red Sky Scrolls give only vague details of contact.

There are now theories that northern Europeans were coming to the area of Maine and Massechusettes in ~1480 but that, like Roanoke, their settlements were absorbed into the groups already living here. Similar theories have emerged for Newfoundland and the Vikings coming before 1100AD but leaving no trace.

A common technique of Polynesians and Phoenicians was to sail into (against) ocean currents so that if they got into trouble the current would carry them home. The Vikings may have used a similar technique in the North Atlantic which flows east.

We have also recently learned that Taino were navigating the entire east coast of North America with some groups moving permanently to the Hudson River Valley ~1000 CE, maintaining contact with the area of modern day Venezuela and then another group joining them ~1300CE. The 1300CE date is interesting because it lines up with theories about Egyptians, Malis and Muslims coming to Central America in that period which may have upset the balance of power and prompted some migrating northward. Beans were not grown in the NY area until ~1300 so that fits with the theory of contact and migrations.

Fascinating stuff which is now receiving renewed interest!

[abqtommy]

2. Wow! Thanks! Now I'll have to bookmark this thread, too!

[Phoenix61]

3. I've been on the replica of the Nina and it's

amazing how small those old ships were. They were either crazy or serious badasses. Probably a mix of both.

[niyad]

4. KNR and bookmarking

[lindysalsagal]

5. I heard a live lecture by the captain at Mystic Seaport a couple years ago.

They weren't sure they'd make it, and had to repair the mast at one point to continue. Couple thousand years ago, that might have been the downfall of may other ships.

[Chainfire]

6. Every time I see one of those beautiful ships,

It stirs an desire in me to want to go loot a monastery. It may be genetic.

In my genealogical studies, one of my ancestors was Sven Skullcrusher, known, in lore, as the ultimate Viking. Alas, poor Sven died by the sword on a raid to Belfast, but thankfully, he had left some seed behind.