EVIDENCE OF NORDIC MOVEMENTS IN PRE-COLUMBIAN AMERICAS

The term Nordic describes a subdivision of the Caucasoid race who were inhabitants of Northern
Britain, Scandinavia, Northern Germany and the Netherlands. The term Norse on the other hand,
refers to ancient and medieval Scandinavia or its inhabitants as well as it could be used to refer to
Norway. Norseman/Northman is a term that is used interchangeably with the word Viking (who
were any Danes, Norwegians or Swedes who raided the seas of North and West Europe the 8th and
11th centuries).

Evidence of Nordic presence in the Americas prior to Columbus can be classified into botanical,
metallurgical, archaeological, cartographic, oral and written.

1. Oral/Written
The most prominent sources of evidence of pre-Columbian Viking contact with the
New World can be found in the Icelandic Annals Islendingbok, Flateyjarbok and
Landnamabok.
Initially, the sagas contained in the above mentioned sources were transmitted
orally until Adamus Bremensis/ Adam of Bremen a cleric began transcribing these
stories in 1070.
The sagas which make special reference to New World discoveries are generally
termed Vinland sagas but are found in sections of the Greenlanders saga and Erik
the Reds saga.
The sagas document the arrival of Icelanders to three territories called Helluland,
Markland and Vinland which were taken to be Baffin Island, Labrador and New
Foundland in Canada.
The most important of these places mentioned in the sagas seemed to have been
Vinland as several expeditions were taken to that place:
i. Leif Eriksson
ii. Thorvald Eriksson
iii. Thorstein Eriksson
iv. Thorfinn Karlefni
v. Freydis Eriksson
It is widely believed that Vindland is present day LAnse aux Meadows
2. Cartographic
A world map dated around 1440 was found in 1965
The map clearly showed the location of Vinland
The map was found in a book called The Vinland Map and Tartar Relation
3. Metallurgical
Evidence of Norse style smelting was uncovered at an excavation site in LAnse aux
Meadows
Iron manufacturing was an activity where bog ore (a form of iron collected from
bogs) was processed in order to make boat nails
The need for boa tnails explains the introduction of iron smelting to the Americas
4. Botanical
During the excavation of the site at LAnse aux Meadows, the Ingstads found 3
butternut that were preserved in the bogs
Importantly, bogs contain tannic acid which can preserve both organic and inorganic
materials for centuries
The presence of these butternuts suggests that they were transported to the area
rather than grown there. This adds more value to the pre-Columbian Nordic
presence theory
A burl of butternut wood was also found in the bog and since butternut trees do not
and did not grow in Vinland it can safely be concluded that the Vikings also
brought this wood with them
Similarly, items made from Scots Pine (Pinus Sylvertris) were found in the bog.
Again this type of wood did not grow in that area and it was common for utensils to
be made from it in the Old World.
5. Archaeological
Most archaeological evidence was garnered from the excavation at LAnse aux
Meadows in 1960 conducted by Helge and Anne Stine Ingstad
The Ingstads found a Norse site 100m from the ocean shore comprising three
complexes
All the buildings were located on a narrow beach terrace surrounding a sedge peat
bog and a wet sphagnum bog
The buildings were made from a timber frame covered in sod and the roofs were
steeply peaked. There was no windows, only smoke holes through the smoke from
open fires on the floor eventually drifted out
Some items found at the site that were preserved in the bog include:
i. Wood shavings and chips from the carpentry shop
ii. Items of broken wood
iii. Treenails
iv. Plank patch for cracked boat strake
v. Bow for an auger
vi. Pieces of rope made from spruce roots
vii. Bronze pin
viii. Glass bead
ix. Spindle whorl
x. Small needle hone
xi. Bone needle used for knitting
xii. Gilded brass ring
xiii. Dug out fire places
Runestones are also pieces of archaeological evidence of pre-Columbian Norse
presence in the Americas - three most popular runes were:
i. Oklahoma Rune
ii. Spirit Pond Rune (Maine)
iii. Kensington Rune (Minnesota)