Viking Saga Student Activities

Draw a colour picture of what a typical Viking looked like.

Dress as nearly as a typical Viking as you can.

Make a balsa wood reconstruction of a Viking longship.

Map the various voyages undertaken by the Norse explorers.

Create a PowerPoint presentation entitled "L'Anse aux Meadows: Canada's First Settlement."

Examine carefully the picture entitled "Norse Leaving Greenland." What conclusions can you make explaining why the Vikings were able to travel such great distances?

In groups, write and then perform what that first meeting between the Vikings and aboriginals might have been like.

Conduct online research and find out as much as you can about St. Brendan. Present the results of your findings to the class. How strong are his claims of being the first European to come to North America?

How realistic do you think the picture entitled "Erikson Sights America" is? Explain.

L'Anse aux Meadows has been designated a national historical site. Explain why it has been so designated. Also, what protections are afforded the site with this designation?

Some of the proof supporting the Norse claim as being the first Europeans to come to North America comes from their sagas. What exactly is a saga? Is it the same as a myth or is it different? Go online and find some Viking sagas. How reliable do you think such sagas are? What are their limitations? Explain. As a creative assignment, imagine that you are a member of one of the early Viking crews that came to North America. Write your own saga.

Take a careful look at the picture of "St. Brendan Holding Mass on a Whale." Analyze the scene. What is happening in the picture? What is its significance? How would this depiction come down to us? What useful information can be taken from the sketch? How reliable is that information? Explain.

There is considerable speculation about what happened to the Vikings. Identify some of the various theories that have been advanced to explain their disappearance. Which one do you think is most credible? Why?

Why, after establishing the first permanent settlement in North America, do you think the Vikings abandoned it, never to return again?

Conduct a debate, either as a class or in triads (affirmative, negative, judge) on the following resolution: That it is illogical as well as insulting to use the word "discover" as it pertains to the voyages of the Vikings or Christopher Columbus.

Fully research the roots and connotations of the word "skraeling." What term do you think that the aboriginals might have used to describe the Vikings?

How would you go about authenticating the "Vinlanda" map?

Identify and explain some of the problems associated with trying to distinguish between Viking myth and reality.

Identify the various kinds of evidence that scholars and researchers would use to verify - or refute - somebody's claim as being the "first" to come to North America? Which type of evidence is most reliable? Why? Can you suggest some difficulties that are associated with this type of evidence?

Working in groups, conduct a cultural-anthropological study of the Vikings. Areas to examine might include: origins, land, social system, religion, government, diet, difficulties, accomplishments, etc. Time permitting, you might design a PowerPoint presentation for the class.