How did Leif Ericksons discovery of America become lost and how was his voyage rediscovered after Columbus?

by PapaNicholsUSA
y_sengaku

This is indeed one of FAQs on the Vikings. Please also check the following answers either by /u/sagathain, /u/Platypuskeeper, and myself in the following threads:

In short, the news reached also to Scandinavia, and out of Scandinavia in course of the 11th century. The oldest extant written account of Vinland was recorded in the late 11th century Germany.

Nevertheless, these points should be underlined here:

  • We don't know what exactly the initial oral tradition told about Vinland: The famous two Vinland sagas were written first after more than a century after this oldest 'German' account, the history of the archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen, by Adam of Bremen (1075), and medieval Icelandic scribes must have known this written account (the oldest historical writing in medieval Iceland, the Book of Icelanders, was also in fact modeled after this work by Adam). Some part, especially grapes (with a Christian symbolic meaning), might well have been an later embellishment either by Adam himself or his informant, king of the Danes, even in this oldest written form.
  • In this oldest written tradition of Adam of Bremen, Vinland is certainly fabulous, but just a otherworldly island that few people knew the exact location or sailing route. After the third decade of the 12th century, no one seemed to find and to reach Vinland, though Greenlanders seemed to travel Markland (the land of forestm identified with Labrador regularly. It indeed sounds like a promised, legendary isles in the famous legends of the voyage of St. Brendan in medieval Ireland.
  • The importance of the new land itself and settlement in Viking Expansion has been hugely over-emphasized especially among non-specialists, I assume. While L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland did not last beyond a generation (though the latest research suggests some sporadic visits of humans in the 11th century), Norse Greenlandic settlements kept settled in about 4 centuries. It can mean that the Norse settlers regarded Greenlandic settlements, with colder climate and high latitude, primarily as more attractive than Newfoundland (I suppose the access to the exotic natural resources for import was the most important factor).

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As I explained before in: Why don’t we say Leif Erikson discovered the Americas, the modern (at least Scandinavian) historians since the early 20th century have been wary of accepting the historicity of Leif, as well as the event allegedly occurred more than 2 centuries before its recording in the parchments and only appeared in later saga traditions at face value.

In other words, Leif only appears in two medieval Icelandic sagas, put in writing more than 2 centuries after the original events (the exploration of Vinland) allegedly occurred. I don't say he was entirely invented by the later saga author(s) (there were probably some oral traditions on him also in the 13th and 14th century Iceland), but we are not sure whether he really played an important role in Vinland expedition as the later sagas claimed since the oldest written account of Vinland, transmitted and recorded in late 11th century Germany, does not allude to him at all.

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As for modern 're-discovery' of Leif and Vinland saga, the answers provided by /u/Platypuskeeper in: When did the Viking colonization of America become accepted by historians? might be a good starting point to explore.

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The term 'Markland' and its relevant latest news (alleged 'discovery' of hitherto little known pre-Columbian European source) appeared in this summer, I suppose we'll have to wait for more information right now. As for more details, please check the following two previous question threads in this subreddit:

(Edited): fixes typo.