The Vikings and America

I have always loved the introduction to the movie The Vikings (1958) with Orson Welles narrating and Bayeux Tapestry effects!  The Vikings and their attempted colonization of “Vinland” in North America demonstrates that certain harsh facts cannot be overcome by will alone.  It was a tour de force for the Vikings to even get to America considering the technology of the time.  However, long term colonization proved impossible for them, I assume because of the sheer difficulty of getting there, the relatively scanty numbers of potential colonists in Scandinavia and the fact that the Vikings were not that far in advance of the Indians as to weapons technology.

The Vikings and America

I have always loved the introduction to the movie The Vikings (1958) with Orson Welles narrating and Bayeux Tapestry effects!  The Vikings and their attempted colonization of “Vinland” in North America demonstrates that certain harsh facts cannot be overcome by will alone.  It was a tour de force for the Vikings to even get to America considering the technology of the time.  However, long term colonization proved impossible for them, I assume because of the sheer difficulty of getting there, the relatively scanty numbers of potential colonists in Scandinavia and the fact that the Vikings were not that far in advance of the Indians as to weapons technology.