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| Museum of L'Anse aux Meadows in NL |
Whether you believe in
ghosts or not, some of the stories are fascinating. This month the Canadian Historical
Brides authors will share some of their favourite 'haunted' locals in Canada.
Since my Canadian story is about Newfoundland and its origins/colonialism, I
thought I’d tell you of a Newfoundland ghost story.
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| A Turf & Timber Norse Structure |
It’s not a big one. It’s
not a cruel story. Some say the ghost ship brings good tidings, even as it scares
the beejeebs out of ones seeing it: a Viking ship that returns over the
centuries on 15 August. It haunts L’Anse aux Meadows, an old Viking settlement at
the tip of a peninsula on the NW portion of Newfoundland/Labrador.
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| L'Anse aux Meadows (red dot) |
According to historical records,
Vikings explored this area. They travelled from Greenland to Helleland, then
meandered south to L’Anse aux Meadows. Radiocarbon dates the first
authenticated European settlement between 976 & 985 CE. The Vikings built
earthen and timber structures of Norse design. Artefacts were left behind.
The Norsemen abandoned
their settlement, they say due to a lack of game to support them and continual
battles with the Inuit (the Norse called these native
peoples Skraelings, which may mean: scruffy). The two sides had bloody clashes
and the Norse, greatly outnumbered by the Inuit, were eventually driven back to
their homeland. As far as we know, they did not return to Canada.
Roll the years forward and stories
of a Viking ghost ships prevail. They haunt the shores of L’Anse aux Meadows,
some say every 30 years on 15 August.
Here are some of the
sightings:
One summer evening, a lone
fisherman had a good day and decided to
remain behind while others headed for shore and their suppers. The weather
turned. Dark clouds scudded and the winds had picked up. He gathered his things
and prepared to leave but the boat wouldn’t start. He checked the fuel gauge
and other fishing boat stuff and all was in readiness but the motor was dead.
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| Ghost Viking Ship |
Suddenly, he heard what
seemed like paddles in the water. The fisherman considered this good luck for
whoever it was would take him to shore. He ran to the deck to see a strange
ship heading straight for him, ready to ram him. The boat was long with a tall
mast, with red and white striped sails. Men shook their swords as if ready to
do battle but just before the ship rammed him, a battle horn sounded. The ghost
ship disappeared.
When the fisherman turned
the key, his engine started. Meeting the Vikings had given him good
tidings.
There’s another story of
two young men intent on stealing a neighbour’s whiskey. They knew he hid it in
an outside building. They broke into the barn and located the bottle right
away. Suddenly, they heard paddles striking the water and looked out the window
to see a strange ship, a long boat with a tall mast and striped sails. It was
coming right at them. Men on board rattled their sabres, flung their fists in
the air and sent battle cries over the water but a battle horn sounded. The
ship disappeared in a cloud of mist, sending the young men running for their
lives. They forgot the whiskey.
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Many thanks to:
Haunted
Canada 5: Terrifying True Stories by Joel A Sutherland
Wikicommons, public domain
Viking
Ghost Boat in L’Anse aux Meadows Links:
I'd love to visit that area where the Vikings settled. Enjoyed the post.
ReplyDeleteThanks Diane. I'd love to see all of Newfoundland.
ReplyDelete