Drawing of Lief Erickson
While researching the question What are the earliest known origins of Sasquatches in Native American culture in the Americas? I found several sites claiming that Leif Ericson recorded an encounter with sasquatch in 968 AD. For example, the Sasquatch Chronicles Blog:
The oldest account of Bigfoot was recorded in 986 AD by Leif Ericson and his men. During their first landing in the New World, the Norsemen wrote about manlike beasts that were “horribly ugly, hairy, swarthy and with great black eyes.”
Among his accounts, Leif told of seeing huge hairy men who towered over him and his men. The “huge hairy men”, according to Leif, lived in the Woods and had a rank odour and a deafening shriek. It should be noted that Leif Ericson and his men describe huge manlike beasts that were loud and foul-smelling and clearly distinct from native peoples. Apparently, Leif had several sightings of the “huge hairy men” before departing the island.
They called the creature “Skellring”. People believe that the creature “Skellring” is what we know today as Bigfoot. This is the earliest recorded encounter with Bigfoot, or Sasquatch.
The oldest account of Bigfoot was recorded in 986 AD by Leif Ericson and his men. During their first landing in the New World, the Norsemen wrote about manlike beasts that were “horribly ugly, hairy, swarthy and with great black eyes.”
Among his accounts, Leif told of seeing huge hairy men who towered over him and his men. The “huge hairy men”, according to Leif, lived in the Woods and had a rank odour and a deafening shriek. It should be noted that Leif Ericson and his men describe huge manlike beasts that were loud and foul-smelling and clearly distinct from native peoples. Apparently, Leif had several sightings of the “huge hairy men” before departing the island.
They called the creature “Skellring”. People believe that the creature “Skellring” is what we know today as Bigfoot. This is the earliest recorded encounter with Bigfoot, or Sasquatch.
The Greenlander's journeys to North America are known mainly from two Sagas: the Grænlendinga saga ("The Saga of the Greenlanders") and the Eiríks saga rauða ("The Saga of Erik the Red"), plus some mentions in other sources . The Skrælings are thus not the inventions of one writer. However, they were not mystical beasts, but ordinary people: both the Thule people (ancestors of modern Inuits) on Greenland as well as inhabitants of Northern America were called Skraelings by the Norse.
There is a description of the Skraelings in the Saga of Eric the Red:
They were short men, ill-looking, with their hair in disorderly fashion on their heads; they were large-eyed, and had broad cheeks.
The Icelandic saga database.: The Saga of Erik the Red, Chapter 10. Translation by J. Sephton.
As you can see, only the hairy bit can be said to fit, and other details are the exact opposite of your quote, or totally absent. The Saga also tells how two Skraelings came to live on Greenland for one winter. (The Saga of the Greenlanders gives a more violent account; there the two peoples never learn to talk to eachother, but it's still clear that the Skraelings are human).
The word Skraeling seems to survive in modern Icelandic, meaning Barbarian. One suggested, but by no means sure, etymology of it derives it from a word for shouting, which at least somewhat fits a part of the description.
So did he and his men encounter Sasquatch ? The descriptions and Info sounds very possible Or were they just primitive wild native men ?
There is a description of the Skraelings in the Saga of Eric the Red:
They were short men, ill-looking, with their hair in disorderly fashion on their heads; they were large-eyed, and had broad cheeks.
The Icelandic saga database.: The Saga of Erik the Red, Chapter 10. Translation by J. Sephton.
As you can see, only the hairy bit can be said to fit, and other details are the exact opposite of your quote, or totally absent. The Saga also tells how two Skraelings came to live on Greenland for one winter. (The Saga of the Greenlanders gives a more violent account; there the two peoples never learn to talk to eachother, but it's still clear that the Skraelings are human).
The word Skraeling seems to survive in modern Icelandic, meaning Barbarian. One suggested, but by no means sure, etymology of it derives it from a word for shouting, which at least somewhat fits a part of the description.
So did he and his men encounter Sasquatch ? The descriptions and Info sounds very possible Or were they just primitive wild native men ?
