The term “Viking” is somewhat irksome when used to describe the ‘Vinland’ settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador. The image it conjects are mostly Hollywood fabrications, and even the fake helmets ascribe to a much earlier period in Norse history. The term “Viking” means “Raider” and while they certainly earned a frightful reputation for their devastating invasions of Europe during the earliest part of the Middle Ages – it was a highly advanced community of sailors, adventurers, and land developers who arrived on Newfoundland’s shores in the year 1000AD.
Make no wonder we were able to repel their incursions with relative ease. Despite their advanced weapons technology, they simply weren’t “real” Vikings anymore!
“… Hollywood fabrications…”
Which is not to say Newfoundland hasn’t seen its fair share of “Raiders”;
Sir Humphrey Gilbert must have been a fierce foe, claiming St. John’s and all the island for the Queen of England in 1583 – without contest!
Peter Easton, Bartholomew (Black Bart) Roberts, and Gilbert Pike took “plundering” to a whole new level during the golden age of piracy and the pivotal role Newfoundland played as their ‘Safe Harbour’.
And of course, the fiercest of all our marauders came from ‘New France’ – who’d obviously missed the memo about the “Rules of Engagement” and the changing practices of warfare during the 17th century. Burning and pillaging nearly every settlement on the island.
Now they were Vikings!
“… simply weren’t Vikings anymore…”
