Leif Eiriksson in Newfoundland, 999-1000 AD
I have just read The Vinland Sagas to get to the bottom of this assumption that ‘Leif Eiriksson saw a Bigfoot’ when he came to L’Anse Aux Meadows in the year 1000. The Vinland Sagas are composed of two sagas: The Saga of the Greenlanders and Eirik the Red’s Saga. In the Sagas, there are multiple trips to the East Coast of Canada made by different members of Eirik the Red’s family. He had four children: Leif, Thorvald, Thorstein and a daughter, Freydis.
The sagas tell the tales of different expeditions to the New World led by Bjarni Herjolfsson, Leif Eiriksson, his brothers Thorvald, Thorstein, Thorfinn Karlsefni and his wife Gudrid, and finally Freydis. Leif Eiriksson was the first to actually set foot in this area with his crew, build houses and spend the winter in Vinland in the year 1000. Leif then returned to Greenland the following spring with a shipload of grapes and timber.
An interesting (and remarkable) fact about the Greenlanders coming to Eastern Canada is that they carried livestock on board their ships. Also, during that time, Greenland had just started converting to Christianity.
I have read the Sagas carefully and have not found a single bit of historical evidence pointing toward a ‘Bigfoot sighting’ by anyone in these expeditions. The sagas are actually very clear, well written and concise. By the way, they are the only written accounts of the Norsemen’s travels to the Atlantic Coast of Canada. The sagas were written 300-400 years after these travels took place.
The Norsemen traded peacefully with the Native Americans for fur pelts; however there were numerous fights between the two groups, resulting in deaths in both parties. The term Skraeling (correct spelling) is actually used only two or three times in the sagas. The term means barbarian and does not necessarily refer to a Sasquatch.
The Vikings did not keep any journals of their travels; they carved or engraved runic characters on stone. It is highly unlikely the Vikings would have loaded boulders on their ships to come to Vinland (Eastern Canada). I checked in archaeological websites and other sources for any indication that the Vikings produced paper and ink, or that they ‘wrote in journals’ around the year 1000. They did not.
So, to summarize the historical data I found in The Saga of the Greenlanders and Eirick the Red’s Saga:
Leif Eiriksson was born between 970-980 and died 1018-1025.
Leif and his crew (one ship) came to Vinland (L’Anse Aux Meadows) in 999-1000 AD.
The Vikings did not write in any journals in the year 1000; they carved runes on stone or wood.
Skraeling does not mean ‘Sasquatch’.
There is no mention of any Bigfoot or Sasquatch sightings in The Vinland Sagas.
I have seen different Sasquatch websites spreading the notion that ‘Leif Eiriksson saw a Bigfoot when he came to Newfoundland’ and that he even had previous sightings, which would be recorded in some journal (?) – even the year given is inaccurate. I would like to see the historical data supporting this claim as well as the source. I strongly encourage anyone to show me this document or manuscript, otherwise this story is fabricated.
It is still possible that Leif and his men may have spotted an unknown biped in these woods. However there is no definite written record of this; the truth is, we don’t know.
Source: The Vinland Sagas, translated by Keneva Kunz, Penguin Classics, 1997, 2008
Eastern Canada Sasquatch Organization
March 2024
No comments:
Post a Comment