Today’s selection takes us back in time. We go all the way back to 900-1000 A.D.
West Viking
The Ancient Norse in Greenland and North America
By: Farley Mowat
First the saga. Or rather, the portion which is explored in detail in the ensuing chapter. Then we have the expounding in 20th century language.
This book was interesting on many levels. The primary one is the way in which the Norse of that century were brought alive. They were presented as brave and adventurous. And at the same time in pursuit of universal needs — land, food, other resources.
Traces of these adventurous people remain – only traces. Enough to form a picture in my mind to go along with the author’s words. A group of men gathered around a smoky fire in a long, low shelter “chewing the fat” both literally and in the more modern sense of the phrase as they recount the hunt, or the journey, or the winter storm.
Check your local library. This volume is from 1965 and may be out of print.