The Discovery of America by the Northmen, 985-1015

This spoken work opens with a lively lecture delivered to a New Hampshire historical society in the late 19th century, inviting listeners to imagine a bronze statue of Leif Erikson watching westward over Boston’s harbor. The narrator then steps back to the ninth century, sketching the rise of a young Norwegian king who unites a fractious realm and sparks a wave of westward migration. From the rugged coast of Iceland to the icy edge of Greenland, the early settlers carve out new homes, laying the groundwork for a daring adventure that will change the map of the known world.

The heart of the story follows Bjarni, a merchant sailor who, after missing his father in Iceland, sets out for Greenland only to be blown off course by fog and wind. Over several days at sea he sights unfamiliar, low‑lying, heavily forested lands that could not be Greenland, hinting at a continent far beyond the Norse horizon. Listeners are drawn into the tension of the unknown ocean, the awe of accidental discovery, and the spark it ignites among the Northmen, setting the stage for the legendary voyages that follow.