Viking and Native American North America

How much effect would that knowledge have on Europe in general?
" In the far North, past Greenland there's another group of islands."
"What do they have there?"
"Some fish and furs, I think. Now to continue our lesson, in the north-east lies Muscovy...."
 
Maize, beans, squash, and potentially a trade network with people who grow potatoes and tomatoes.

So some weird grains and a gourd? Exotic, but why should any Norseman want to grow them or even care about them when rye and barley are just fine? They probably aren't even good for you since the skraelings eat them. Definitely not worth sailing all the way to the Maritimes to get.

Not to mention turkeys.

IIRC the domesticated sort didn't occur anywhere near Newfoundland. And again, who cares? To a Norseman it's just a giant chicken.
 
So some weird grains and a gourd? Exotic, but why should any Norseman want to grow them or even care about them when rye and barley are just fine? They probably aren't even good for you since the skraelings eat them. Definitely not worth sailing all the way to the Maritimes to get.



IIRC the domesticated sort didn't occur anywhere near Newfoundland. And again, who cares? To a Norseman it's just a giant chicken.

Okay, but isn't there plenty of land with enough resources on the other side(in America) with fewer and *relatively* friendlier natives?

Isn't that not a lot easier to settle there, rather than to unnecessarily rub against Anglo-Saxons, Franks and the Rus?
 
Colonization is expensive and dangerous. If you are rich enough to do it, you could:

a) Buy a farm locally.

b) Sail to the end of the world and, if you survive, build a farm there. And not be able to say, buy stuff, since you are far away from civilization.

Unless there is some particular reason to do b, most people would choose to do a.
 
Norse had since Ottar sailed to White Sea.
They went there, explored, traded, sometimes raided, and went back. Did not settle.
The Biarmians of the wooded Southern coast of White Sea could trade with Norse - but they could also trade up the rivers Onega and Northern Dvina and over easy portages to Neva and Volga basins. And get much the same stuff Norse could bring. Like iron tools. Or introduce iron smelting locally.
And that limited the prices Norse could get.
It would be the Russians coming from Volga basin who ended up settling on lower Northern Dvina in 13th century.

Now, the Skraelings of the wooded shores of Saint Lawrence have little to sell that the Biarmians of White Sea don´t.

But the Skraelings have no alternative supplier for iron tools and other such Norse trade goods.
And this is going to have an effect on prices.
 

Driftless

Donor
Icelandic Skyr may have been made in this time frame and familiar to Vinlanders. It's a high protein, lower-lactose yogurt-ish concoction.
 
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