Case file · High strangeness

The Hvalsey wedding: last word from Norse Greenland

In September 1408, a wedding at Hvalsey Church produced the last written record of the Norse Greenlanders; after that, the Eastern Settlement fell silent.

1408 CE · 60.82, -45.78 · status: disputed

The account

When missionaries came in the 18th century, they found only ruins. What happened to the last Norse Greenlanders is still debated.

The sceptical view

Gradual decline and emigration are the leading explanations; no single catastrophe is needed.

Connections in the atlas

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Hvalsey Church
  2. Wikipedia: Eastern Settlement
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