While initially being an outgrowth of Greenland, what will one day become the Vinlandic Commonwealth may come to include Greenland as ones of its provinces, with a few elite Gothi dynasties owning private estates on both sides of the sea.
The Adamantine Age: Olaf Tryggvasson Chooses the Aesir
- Thread starter Makemakean
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So the Ruadhars are more like George Washington, then?
This is excellent, but I must reread the last update before commenting further.
This is excellent, but I must reread the last update before commenting further.
If the Ruadhar clan are going to establish their farmsteads around the location of L'ans aux Meadows, I guess the individual Icelandic Gothar may choose different landing sites on the coast of Markland. Before long, the Althing would be fully participant in the settlement of the island if they or their own kin have possession of land there.
Possibly, but transit times would have to be quite low. On the other hand, the Greenlanders were not food independent, correct? So they might come to be dependent on the Vinlanders. Personally, I think it's more likely that they'd give up Greenland entirely, given how unsuited their farming practices were for the climate and the abundance of better land to the south.
This, yeah. Once the little Ice Age hits it'll be easy to convince Greenlanders to pull up stakes for better pickings down south, even if they are near the skraelings.
Ooh, I forgot about the Little Ice Age. Do we have any documented evidence of it's effect in places other than Europe? I was wondering because I haven't ever heard of it occurring in North Africa, China, India, or the Americas. If Greenland is abandoned, that could cut off Vinland from Europe entirely.
I saw this interesting article recently, arguing that the Little Ice Age was caused by the European contact with the Americas, with the die-off of Native Americans by Old World diseases leading to reforestation and a drop in carbon dioxide levels. If you accept that theory, the Little Ice Age might occur earlier in TTL.
Fascinating. It seems plausible enough, though they might consider testing their theory by studying other eras of mass deforestation/reforestation throughout history, such as Europe 200-600 AD (deforestation) and India 1200-1400 AD (reforestation).
Not really. There would still be plenty of contact with Iceland and through them Europe. By the 13th century, Cogs would be in use across the Atlantic. The Vinlanders won't quite be isolated from Europe. Iceland would need materials from North America, so it would develop into the middleman between the old and new worlds.
Not to mention massive reforestation in Eurasia due to the Mongol conquests.
Getting the Iceland Gothis involved within the decade after the founding of Leifsbuddir (L'ans aux Meadows) would provide the Norse colonization of Markland the boost it needs. There were certainly a lot of landless freemen, outlawed persons, and newcomers from Scandinavia in Iceland that would be ideal for the task. Greenland at the time time had between 2000-4000 people, while Iceland is thought to have had between 15,000-20,000 inhabitants. The coastal areas of OTL's Newfoundland be the primary sites of occupation. The eastern part of the Avalon Peninsula being a prime location for a major centre of commerce and shipping between the St Lawrence estuary and Iceland.
The Sagas will compose much of the Asaist holy scripture. The gods of diverse pantheons may be identified with one another. The Slavic Perun shared traits with Norse Thor, for example.
Sorry I haven't provided the latest update yet (working on it), I've had a really busy week and I'm reading through the Sagas to get a better clue about the characters of Eric the Red and Karlsefni. Fortunately, my Reading Week is coming up (7th-13th November) so expect to see a double-installment then! 
Lysandros keeps beating me to it when it comes to answering the questions. But yes, the Sagas will certainly become the Norse Bible. I have yet to see any reason why some deities would be cast aside, though.
It might furthermore interest the forum's most well-known Mormon that I intend to bring Jews over the Atlantic, fleeing the persecution these fellows are facing in Medieval Europe. As a fan of Mormonism, I have decided to take some inspiration when it comes to the naming from that book. Their primary city will be named Nýjorsala (Old Norse New Jerusalem, which of course have no connection with the Book of Mormon), but there will also be a city named Zarahemla, for which I was intending to use this suggested etymology. However, upon discovering this etymology on another place, I decided to go with it, as it seems more reasonable: The Norsemen had compassion on the Jews and allowed them into their land, therefore they named a city after the compassion of the foreigners. Add to it that the rabbi leading the first Jewish settlement to the New World will be named Zephi ben-Levi, I think that you'll like what's coming...
Lysandros keeps beating me to it when it comes to answering the questions. But yes, the Sagas will certainly become the Norse Bible. I have yet to see any reason why some deities would be cast aside, though.
It might furthermore interest the forum's most well-known Mormon that I intend to bring Jews over the Atlantic, fleeing the persecution these fellows are facing in Medieval Europe. As a fan of Mormonism, I have decided to take some inspiration when it comes to the naming from that book. Their primary city will be named Nýjorsala (Old Norse New Jerusalem, which of course have no connection with the Book of Mormon), but there will also be a city named Zarahemla, for which I was intending to use this suggested etymology. However, upon discovering this etymology on another place, I decided to go with it, as it seems more reasonable: The Norsemen had compassion on the Jews and allowed them into their land, therefore they named a city after the compassion of the foreigners. Add to it that the rabbi leading the first Jewish settlement to the New World will be named Zephi ben-Levi, I think that you'll like what's coming...
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It might furthermore interest the forum's most well-known Mormon that I intend to bring Jews over the Atlantic, fleeing the persecution these fellows are facing in Medieval Europe. As a fan of Mormonism, I have decided to take some inspiration when it comes to the naming from that book. Their primary city will be named Nýjorsala (Old Norse New Jerusalem, which of course have no connection with the Book of Mormon), but there will also be a city named Zarahemla, for which I was intending to use this suggested etymology. However, upon discovering this etymology on another place, I decided to go with it, as it seems more reasonable: The Norsemen had compassion on the Jews and allowed them into their land, therefore they named a city after the compassion of the foreigners. Add to it that the rabbi leading the first Jewish settlement to the New World will be named Zephi ben-Levi, I think that you'll like what's coming...
I realize that it may not sound that way to American ears, but Elihu ("LH") would be closer to "Lehi" than "Levi" to most Semitic peoples. Hebrew doesn't write out vowels do to it's use of ablaut as part of its grammatical structure.
Furthermore, as this is before the days of Maimonides, Greek names like Timothy, Lachoneas, and Jonas would be in very bad odor.
Zephi ben-Elihu, then it is!
The Eddas will be written down around the year 1200, although not by Snorri Sturlusson (you will see why
). Fortunately, this time they will be written down be devout Asaist rather than reconstructed by later Christian writers. The Eddas will be important parts of the Book of Canonical Sagas.Apart from Leisbudir, how many other settlements are going to be founded by the Greenlanders within the first 10-20 years of Markland's founding? Do they all just cluster around Leif's camp, or would they begin extending further down the coast?
You sir Makemakean, are a champion of the gods! I am so looking forward to the future of this TL. Scandinavian Pagan Empire FTW!!!
I am so looking forward to the future of this TL. Scandinavian Pagan Empire FTW!!!