Despite the challenging and icy terrain, the Norse people managed to sustain themselves by finding fertile areas along the southwestern coast.
Survival in these lands required a combination of stock farming – raising livestock for grazing – and hunting seals, caribou, as well as undertaking hunting expeditions further north to Nordsetur, Disko Bay, where they pursued walruses, narwhals, and even polar bears.
The Norse settlers inhabited three distinct regions in southwestern Greenland: the larger Eastern Settlement, the smaller Western Settlement, and the still smaller Middle Settlement (often considered part of the Eastern one). Recent estimates indicate that the combined population of these settlements reached its peak between 2,000 and 10,000 people.
Around 1200 A.D., during the height of their culture, approximately 3,000 Norse farmers raised cattle, sheep, and goats on the island. Norse society prospered, engaging in extensive trade with Europe and receiving requests for luxury items like walrus teeth, for which they traveled great distances along Greenland's shores to obtain.
Changes in climate and the beginning of the Little Ice Age prompted the Norse, at the start of the 13th century A.D., to consolidate and migrate everyone to the southern part of Greenland, where farming remained feasible despite colder summers and longer winters.
In 1126, Greenland gained a bishop, and in 1261, it became integrated into Norway. Subsequently, in 1380, Norway united with Denmark, bringing Greenland under Danish rule.
After surviving for nearly five centuries in Greenland, the day arrived when not a single Norseman could be found anywhere in the country.
History of Viking in Greenland
