Aftur í Vínland

The Expeditions of Erik Gnupsson

At the eve of the 11th century, a Norse explorer, Leif Eriksson, set off from Greenland and sailed to place he called Vinland. He and his settlement had not been heard of since. In 1121, an Icelandic Bishop, who went by the name, Erik Gnupsson set off from Greenland in search of the almost forgotten land of legend, believing he could seek it out. He decided, having learnt of the legendary barbarian Skræling, to seek the help of Greenlanders who could help him on his journey. One of the men he found, had in his midsts a longship, one used by their ancestors, the Viking warriors. They set off in late Spring and intended to return by Autumn, but sadly for the sailors and their head bishop, were hit by an Artic storm which damaged their vessel and forced them to land in a place they knew was Markland, where Greenlanders commonly scavenged for wood and food when taking sailing trips.

Quoting the writings of Erik Gnupsson himself: "We arrived on the coast of the land the Grænlendingar called Markland. It was fairly wooded so I decided we would camp there while the ship was being repaired. We were ambiguous to know that the Skræling had raided our camp on a gloomy evening, causing a bloodshed that turned the ground to colour of the glimmering fire. That was our last night in Markland, after that we packed our ships and did not return". After those events, it is said by account that they landed at the ruins of the Vinland settlement which had become overgrown by grasses after it's abandonment over a century prior. They set up camp and partially restored some of the structures, which took them most of the Summer. After this short stay, running low on supplies, the Greenlanders and the Bishop returned to Greenland by the passing of Autumn.

The news of the rediscovery of Vinland amazed many around Scandinavia, and knowledge of it spread like a wildfire. By 1124, the Lawspeaker of the Icelandic Commonwealth, Bergþór Hrafnsson had ordered a second expedition to Vinland and Markland, pleased with Erik's achievements. The Bishop was appointed head of the second expedition which set off in Spring 1125. The expedition compromised of a fleet of 10 longships, all headed by Icelandic noblemen (and some Greenlandic followers). The ships landed at the former settlement in late Summer 1125, after a stop in the Western settlement to try and to get others to join. The settlement was quickly reconstructed and a few of the noblemen decided to travel out and subjugate the Skrælings near the settlement. They came back with minor success and Erik was growing fond of the new settlement. He and his Icelandic brothers built basic embankments to defend the settlement which they completed by the next Summer. Most of the fleet and Erik returned to Iceland early that Summer, but over 50 explorers decided to stay there for as long as possible and explore the island. Few had wives so population was nil, until the arrival of a Greenlandic fleet full of more settlers in mid 1127 hoping to log the forests for their own settlements.

Erik and the fleet returned to Iceland with the good news. The Norwegian crown had learnt of the expedition and decided to sponsor the exploration of Vinland, sending their own ships in 1136, under Kings Eystein I and Sigurd. The Icelanders quickly sent back another set of settlers equipped with construction tools in 1130. This was the last time Erik saw Iceland as he died of pneumonia in 1132. After Erik's death, the reestablished Vinlandic settlement had no official head, and after a short period of decision making by the noblemen, a government system identical to that of Iceland, with a Lawspeaker at its head. Loftur Sæmundsson, an Icelandic nobleman who joined the Icelanders on the 2nd journey, was elected Lawspeaker and head of the Vinlandic military. Many of his allies conspired for him to become monarch of Vinland, but that act was only carried out by his son decades later. Vinland had been founded again. Reborn like a Phoenix. It was only a matter of time before it would fall under the sway of the powers that lurked across the Atlantic.