Three Years in Vinland: The Norse Attempt to Colonize America 

You mean butternut shells not the husks of butternut squash. Butternut trees don’t grow that far north but the shells have been found at the Meadows site.

I think that mention of the norsemen giving the natives milk is pretty important. Given that the majority of Native Americans are lactose intolerant, they would have gotten pretty sick from drinking it. They probably thought they had been poisoned, which could explain why future interactions got violent.

This is probably the best version of Huginn and Muninn in any media, ever.

If ever there’s a satirical Lord of The Rings remake, Atun Shei would make a good Aragorn

i lost my shit at that beginning cut with the ship in the bath tub. one of my favorite yt channels

The Phantom Menace connection is likely the greatest development of Norse history in our time.

I wrote my capstone paper on disproving a local "runestone" in Oklahoma, talking about how it would be impossible not to have evidence of Viking settlements all down the Mississippi and the Canadian and Red Rivers. It was based on the diminished successes of Scandinavian colonies across the Norse Atlantic; Iceland was okay because they could get supplies from home, but Greenland was at the very edge of the support line and eventually collapsed, and even further west it was barely a toehold. The idea of them just booking it across the country just to leave a runestone in the middle of nowhere with no other archaeological evidence in the intervening area is laughable.

Atun: maybe they’ll come together and live in peace. Ravens: but do they? Atun: … no. Absolute gold!

The ravens are out here roasting yanks harder than Philip Broke

Ah a Vendel helm, makes me want to paraphrase Count Adhemar : How stylish of you to colonise in an antique. You'll start a new fashion if you win. My grandfather will be able to wear his in public again, how quaint.

So perhaps that story about the woman with the huge eyes evolved from someone who didn't speak the language and, with eyes wide with nervousness, just repeated the sounds she heard him say.

I'm from Newfoundland, we think the grapes for wine the Vikings think of are actually our blueberries which are everywhere on the island especially up north where the settlements were discovered.

I can't find anyone else making a connection between the Star Wars gungan's weapons and Erik the Red's saga. You might be the first.

Well to quote Edgar allan poe here " Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door! Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!” Quoth the Raven “4:01"

RU-vid creator who is a natural television presenter makes his own films and tells stories about viking exploration, early new england history, american civil war myths, and how New Orleans came to be. Three of these things I never knew would be as interesting as they are. Keep it coming Atun-Shei. Keep it coming!

One of my favorite bits of The Saga of Erik the Red is this quote: "Even though this was good land, their lives here would always be dominated by battle and fear." That's basically the highest compliment the Norse could pay you.

I cannot express how long I have been waiting for this, I have Leif Erikson day on my calendar even.

Best day of the year.

The movie normally: action packed thriller The movie when my parents walk in: 17:13

At this point I have completely ditched Columbus Day leaf Erikson days where it’s at

They should have delivered Thorhall to the Hundred assembled in the Thing in the Fylki in which they dwelt.

Hands down most underrated channel on the platform

That might be the best and highest budget opening you've assembled. I loved it!

I am glad you got around to talking about the inspiration for Vinland saga. Good manga

Note there's a heavily fictionalized (as in Thorfinn is a pacifist) version of Thorfinn Karlsefni in the manga and anime "Vinland Saga" in which he interacts with Leif, Gudrid, and other characters not necessarily directly related like Thorkell the Tall and Cnut the Great. (In the story the Leif Erikson settlement is on Newfoundland where the viking site is visible in modern day and Thorfinn's site is on Prince Edward Island)

Hope you have a good Leif Erikson day!

Huginn and Muninn. Clearly the historic inspiration for Heckle and Jeckle! ;)

Imagine discovering the Americas only to be called "leaf" by a bird puppet.

For a while I've wondered if an alternate history scenario involving the Norse colonists is at all plausible. What if the settlements had been larger and stuck around for longer before eventually being abandoned. The norse trade with the neighbouring native Americans (as they did in real life), and that involved trading domesticated animals like sheep and pigs (or even horses). By the time the norse settlements are abandoned domesticated animals had been adopted by many of the native americans in the region, and they spread out from there. How would a wider variety of livestock animals have changed the cultures of the Americas?

00:10 this, this is the high quality editing that I've come to expect from this channel.

Butternut SQUASH hulls that grew on trees? (Butternuts are a lighter variety of walnuts.) The birds are boss. Loved the opening sequence.

Hah! Is the note on pronunciation a Jackson Crawford reference?! If it was, that just made my day!

Vinland is such a cool topic for alternate history writers, I’m often dissipated it’s not used more often.

I have to stop supporting you on Patreon for financial reasons but these videos are seriously awesome and I wish you awesomeness.

It is entirely too hot and humid for October in Western PA, thinking about moving to Iceland and setting up a small fishing settlement.

The pronunciation note at 1:06 is great. Nice to see Dr. Jackson Crawford is popular enough to get parodied.

Today is the best day or all days because it is Leif Erickson day

There's something I can't describe that I like about how the caw of crows is related to someone saying "beta cuck."

Oh boy can't wait for the viking side of RU-vid to barge in, if you listen closely you can already hear the horns

Thorfinn has come a long way from his time at Askaladd’s gang. Hopefully he learned how to be a true warrior.

1:04 I like the reference to Jackson Crawford there, nice touch

I want more of this! Viking history is amazing and deserves more coverage!

You are single handedly(and your film crew) are bringing back the indie film industry from the brink of extinction. I thank you good kind knowledgeable sir!!! Please continue your work.🥃🚬🥓🫂

I know it's not his style, but we need to get a Jackson Crawford reaction video to this series. He just did one on the importance of reimagining Norse characters. What better example than the crows here?!

Statler and Waldorf from the Muppets have been reincarnated as two annoying puppet birds. Lol

15 seconds in and I'm in love

I find the idea of Odin's crows cursing at you very appropriate for a discussion on norse sagas.

I can think of another reason for the Norse to visit Canada regularly: Fishing. A lot of historical sources praise the amount of fish you could get in the area up until the 18th century, far more then outside Greenland, Iceland or Norway. And fish were rather important at the time, as well as walrus tusk and the most expensive thing of all: "unicorn horn" (also known as Narwhal tusk but don't tell the buyer that). Norwegian fishermen are said to have been fishing the area at the time of Columbus, but that might be a rumor. In any case, we don't really know if the Sagas tell the story of all the journey's or if there were more. And frankly, we need more archaeological finds to get any more information. It is likely still out there and with new technology or a little luck we might find out more. There have been found half of a viking scale and some weights in mainland Canada, which possibly could have been taken at the raid on the Vinland settlement or it is possible that Norse traders actually made trips to trade there now and then. It is really hard to say since we only got 3 Sagas written a couple of hundred years afterwards and the rather limited artifacts found at L'Anse aux Meadows at this time. Really, some of the things mentioned in the Sagas likely happened while other things seems a bit outlandish (that boob clapping for instance do sound a lot like added for comical relief later). But a lot of the story is probably missing so we can just speculate. Also: Greenland is way closer to Canada then Norway, I could buy sailing to Iceland might have been easier but not Norway. And we have to consider that Greenland at the time were warmer then even today due to a rather strange local climate effect. So I don't think it is impossible the Norse spent more time in Canada then just 3 journeys (or 4 if you count Bjarni, I don't buy for a second that he didn't at least land to pick up food and fresh water, the story was written by Leif's relatives so they had a reason to omit that but Bjarni had sailed far longer then he had planned for so there were no reason to assume he didn't land and stock up a bit since he had no clue how long the rest of his journey would take. If he had been that stupid he probably would have died). Butt this is just speculations until we find any actual evidence.

I liked the reference to the Grímnismál with Huginn and Muninn arguing over who Óðinn likes best. Nice touch.

20:00 I’ve always wondered what Alvin and the Chipmunks would be like if they were Norse birds, now I know!

Wait it's Leif Erikson Day? Excellent, I've been looking for an excuse to open some of my surplus bottles of mead!

I love the pronounciation note at the beginning as an homage to Jackson Crawford’s channel

Another leif Erikson vid let's go this is huge Chris Columbus eat your heart out

Yay! Happy Leif Erikson day! Seeing you being screamed at by legendary crows is not something I knew I needed, but I am glad I could see it happen!

Me, remembering it's Leif Eiriksonn Day, looking at my watch as well: OH FUCK IT'S LEIF EIRIKSONN'S DAY I'M GONNA BE LATE TO THE YEARLY RAID!

I notice that the settlement at L'Anse Meadows has been dated to 1021 CE based on dendrology and an isotope anomaly in the late 10th century. No coincidence they announced it so close to Leif Ericson Day! Thanks for the video.

"Shut the f*ck up soy boy!" Omg the self-deprecating humor is next level lol. Well done as always

I just finished God of War and was looking more into Norse history (specifically of their Greenland colonies) and started re reading Magnus Chase and now it's the only explicitly Norse inspired holiday I know of. I'm guessing my Scandinavian blood is kicking in

I am both Norwegian and Icelandic. And I really appreciate seeing videos like this that tells the story of my ancestors

Heckyl 'n Jeckyl!! ;D

You can’t just say it’s Leif Erickson Day without the traditional “Hinga dinga durgen”. Spongebob would be displeased.

God, I can't believe your last Leif Ericson was a year ago! I thought it was a year and three days ago.

My favorite 100% real Spongebob Holiday is also my birthday!

They fought the Beothuk an now extinct native tribe of Newfoundland. Another settlement has been discovered in Port aux Basques recently.

I think i saw your talking ravens on the Stewart Lee/Richard Herring comedy talk show from the early 90s. This Morning With Richard Not Judy i think it was called, although, those ravens were crows, and they punned like no one's business

This channel is what Pynchon novels are really about

Ah yes the day when Atun-Shei spoils the Vinland Saga manga which like only just got to America a few months ago.

"What are you doing playing whit this boot in the bathtub and singing terrible?" "That´s my job"

15:58 Kind of like picking a rifle off a fallen soldier, trying to figure out how the bangstick works, and popping the guy beside you.

Hard to believe it's been a year since the last one of these. This one was the best yet.

Now we need him to do a video on the Vinland Saga manga.

The Norse colonies in America are certainly one of the most interesting topics in history. It’s such a shame that we don’t know more about them and that they didn’t last longer.

Love the work as always! Informative and humoruous!

Dude I love the back and forth between you and the crows, great plot device, awesome video!

I love Leif Erikson day, there’s always a new Atun-Shri video

Just been binging your videos all day. I love your combination of smooth creative editing with your love of history. That intro was funny, creative but also genuinely cinematic as well. Keep it up!!

I always am so happy to see a new vid from u. I settle in w a cup of wine and get ready for fascinating story time

Love the nod to Jackson Crawford. Wildly Inconsistent Ignorant American Pronunciation indeed!

One thing I love about you is that you always leave your references in the description, thank you.

I just wanted to say that I really appreciate what you create for us! Really awesome, as usual.

Another great Atun-Shei production! That opener is so GD hilarious, as are Huginn and Muninn!

Watching the whole vinland playlist you have you can really see the amazing improvement of your content. Keep up the amazing work

Love the presentation. Education wrapped in humor.

The gods know how I’ve needed some Utun-Shei in my life. Happy Leif Erickson Day!!

I remember waking up last year to your vid. Can't believe another year has come and gone. You put out amazing content. I'll add you to my Patreon good sir.

YES! I have been needing a fix. Another awesome video.

Thanks very much Atun-Shei and Happy Leif Erikson Day everyone!

I loved the ship in the intro. I loved the Ravens played by disney blackbirds. Fascinating history and a really good time, Atun. Thanks!

Wow, sooo glad to see this❣ For a while there began to wonder if Ida messed up your enterprise.

I’ve been looking forward to this all year!

I was just watching the Vinland video on Thorvald, so this was a nice surprise minutes or almost an hour later. Thanks Atun-Shei! :p

Happy Leif Erikson bud! And great video too, hope to hear you tell more Sagas soon!

This is probably Atun-Shei Films' funniest video. The sequence of filming the boat in a bathtub alone made me click like, and Huginn and Muninn only made the video even funnier.

Your videos are the best Leif Erikson day gift one can hope for

Loved the Chipmunks Christmas twist at the end. Thanks for another great video and have a Happy Leif Erikson day!

History is the key….to everything.

Hey Atun Shei, Local Newfoundlander here. Love the coverage of the Norse sagas related to North America. Really cool stuff. Keep it up!

at my school during history class we were talking about the viking conquest ,ive gotta say a huge thanks for saving me cause of these stories

Is it Leif Erikson day already? Always glad to hear from you Atun-Shei, especially when you teaching us bout Norse history.

Sir I have not seen your channel before but fantastic job on this video I loved it; those birds were hilarious! I'll have to check out more.