II/ The Documentary Evidence: The Sagas

[2 hr 5 min]

1. Present the class with a brief historical outline, in lecture format, of the Norse people and their colonization of Iceland, Greenland, and North America.  Be sure to mention the names of important individuals and the places, but do not give too much detail.  This presentation is intended to provide cognitive scaffolding only.  Explain to the students that many of the details of the story remain open to speculation, but that they will have an opportunity to play a role in that speculation through an examination of both documentary and archaeological evidence.
   [5 min]
2. Distribute the five saga excerpt readings equally amongst the class.  For classroom management purposes, be aware that students reading the same saga will, following an independent analysis of the source, be required to work together.  Each group will focus on one of the sagas exclusively.  Note also that the saga excerpts are sequentially arranged not only in chronological order, but also in order of length/difficulty.
   
   Inform the students that the sagas are not exactly primary sources.  They are oral traditions told and retold for several generations before being written down.  As Jones observes, the sagas bear “the accretions of classical legend, Germanic folk-tale, biblical reminiscence, superstition and mythology, travellers’ tales, romantic borrowings, and the many muddles attendant upon an over-long and far from disinterested oral tradition....”¹ As such, they must be interpreted carefully.
   
   The Norse Saga Readings are:
   
   
   1. Erik the Red Goes to Greenland (A.D. 982-985)
   2. Bjarni Herjolfsson Sights Western Lands (A.D. 986)
   3. Leif Erikson Discovers Vinland (ca. A.D. 1000)
   4. Thorvald Goes to Vinland (ca. A.D. 1000)
   5. The Voyages of Thorfinn Karlsefni (ca. A.D. 1000)
3. Students first read their saga excerpt independently.  As they finish reading, give each student one Saga Analysis worksheet and instruct them to answer all of the questions posed.  Students should work independently at this stage.
   [25 min]
4. Students form groups consisting of class members who have read the same saga.²  These work groups have two tasks:
   1. Compare notes from the Saga Analysis.  Does everyone agree or are there points of contention?  Any outstanding questions or difficulties in interpreting the document may be resolved within the framework of support provided by the group.
      [10 min]
   2. Prepare a group dramatization to present the contents of the saga to the rest of the class.  The tone of the piece is entirely up to the students, but each dramatization must be short (under five minutes), true to the content of the saga, and include all group members in some way.
      [20 min]
5. Groups present their dramatizations in chronological order (i.e. Erik the Red first, Thorfinn Karlsefni last).  As the students will all have performed the same type of analysis, albeit to different saga excerpts, the whole class should be well positioned to participate in brief Q&A/discussions between skits, reviewing the main points of the saga excerpt and speculating about the historical integrity of the sources.
   [45 min]
6. When all of the dramatizations have concluded, facilitate a summative discussion.
   1. Elicit general responses from the students to check for understanding and probe meanings.
      • Overall, what patterns emerge concerning Norse motivations for making these voyages? 
      • What is the pattern of Aboriginal-Norse relations, and what factors might account for this?
      Note: Evidence of conflict between Aboriginal and Norse people in northeastern North America derives ultimately from these sagas.
      • How might an Aboriginal source have presented the events described in relation to the voyages of Thorvald and Thorfinn?
      • Generally, what biases and/or omissions can be detected in the sagas and how might they be corrected for in our interpretations?
   2. The puzzle: Given the evidence presented in the sagas, where do you think Helluland, Markland, and Vinland are located?  Refer students to copies of Map 2: Vinland?, and any additional mapping you may provide, to assist speculation. 
      [20 min]