Mysteries of the Far North: The Secret History of the Vikings in Greenland and North America

Sharing his extensive and meticulous research, Jacques Privat reveals that the Vikings were in Greenland, its neighboring islands, and the eastern shores of Canada long before Columbus. He examines in depth how Greenland and its surroundings were inhabited for nearly five centuries by two Nordic colonies, Vestribygð and Eystribygð, which disappeared mysteriously: one in 1342 and the other in the 16th century. Drawing on the still-living indigenous oral tradition of the Far North, as well as surviving sculptural art carvings, he shows how, far from being constantly at odds with the native population, the Norsemen and the Inuit formed a harmonious community. He reveals how this friendly Inuit-Viking relationship encouraged the Scandinavian settlers to forsake Christianity and return to their pagan roots.