Episode #246 - How Far Did the Vikings Voyage? (Part III)

Episode #246 - How Far Did the Vikings Voyage? (Part III)

From Our Fake History by PodcastOne

March 11, 2026 · 1h 25m

About this episode

This episode explores the historical significance of the Norse colony of Vinland and the myths surrounding Viking voyages to North America.

For centuries the western Norse colony of Vinland was known only to scholars of the Icelandic Sagas. But in the 19th century the work of a few Scandinavian historians helped revive interest in these previously obscure tales. When the Danish historian Carl Christian Rafn published in his work in English in 1837, many American's were exposed to the idea that the Norse had beaten Columbus to North America by 500 years. Many New Englanders were also excited by the idea that the legendary colony of Vinland may have been in Cape Cod. However, this new interest in the American Vikings also kicked off a wave of Norse flavored forgeries. Some were inspired to create elaborate pseudo-histories that supplanted the America's true first people with a lost group of Norse settlers. The real history of the Norse in North America was soon clouded by a haze of hoaxes and fantasies. Tune-in and find out how runes in Minnesota, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and Newfoundlander named George all play a role in the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Topics covered

  • Vikings
  • Norse history
  • Vinland
  • forgeries
  • American history

Keywords

  • Vinland
  • Norse settlers
  • Icelandic Sagas
  • Carl Christian Rafn
  • Columbus
  • Cape Cod
  • hoaxes
  • pseudo-histories
  • Minnesota runes
  • George

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Vinland, North America, Cape Cod, America, Minnesota

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