The vellum documents have been translated by Gisli Sigurdsson, a historian at Reykjavik University, who writes that Skotland, as the country was known at the time, was not a hospitable place to travelers, with the exception of the Orkneys, which were used as a base camp. The sagas, he believes, were part fact and part fiction, and "reveal how the ancient Norse were far from the fearless pirates of legend."
Travel Skotland at your own risk!
Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2009-11-01 09:07
Medieval Scotland may not have been as welcoming to Norse travelers as one would think. According to a 13th century Viking travel guide, the country was "full of dangerous natives who speak an incomprehensible language and the is weather awful." The 13th century chronicle warned Icelandic merchants away from the area.
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