Waquoit Bay & The Vínland Mystery

Waquoit Bay & The Vínland Mystery

For over 175 years researchers have attempted to unravel the information in two Icelandic Sagas, - the Greenlander's Saga and the Saga of Eric the Red, - with the goal of locating ‘Vínland’, an area on the North American Atlantic coast where grapes grew wild, winters were mild, and Native Americans already occupied the land. Without doubt the single most important development in the long search for Vinland was the discovery of a 11th century European settlement just outside the Newfoundland fishing village of L’Anse aux Meadows. Found in 1960 by Norwegian writer/adventurer Helge Ingstad, [1899-2001] and excavated by his wife, archeologist Anne Stein Ingstad [1918-1997] this site has however never been fully accepted as the answer to the Vinland mystery. Most all researchers continue to look for Vinland farther south. Southern New England, and in particular Massachusetts and Cape Cod has long been believed to be the area that best matches the picture of Vínland.

Speaker Neil Good was highly skeptical when he first became interested in researching the Vinland mystery in 1981. Forty-three years later he now believes another Norwegian writer/researcher, Johannes Kr. Tornoe, [1891-1970] may have been correct when he proposed in 1965 that Waquoit Bay in East Falmouth was the true location of Leif Eriksson’s Vínland settlement. All are invited to the April 10th presentation where they will be able to weigh the evidence for themselves.

$20 Non-Members/$10 Museums on the Green Members, or donation based ticket. Light refreshments served.

Host or Publisher Falmouth Museums on the Green