The Listening Grove · Viking Tales
Chapter 15: Wineland the Good
A Charlotte Mason history read-aloud lesson. Press play, with the lesson.
What is Viking Tales Chapter 15, Wineland the Good, about?Parent review
Viking Tales Chapter 15, Wineland the Good, tells of a voyage to settle the new land. A year or two after Leif's return, two Iceland trading ships led by Thorfinn and Biarni arrive in Greenland, and Eric hosts them for the winter. Thorfinn's generosity leads to his marriage to Gudrid, widow of Eric's son Thorstein. Drawn by the tales of Wineland, Thorfinn gets directions from Leif and leads three ships and one hundred sixty people there. They camp by a bay, live easily on game, fish, eggs, and grapes, and Gudrid bears a son, Snorri. Brown-skinned strangers arrive by canoe, and a peaceful fur-trade begins but breaks up when a bull frightens them. Weeks later the strangers return in force and attack, and though the Norsemen drive them off, they resolve to leave. Long after, the story identifies Wineland as America, and statues honor Leif Ericsson.
Say what you remember!
Tell what you remember from the last chapter.
What happened in Viking Tales Chapter 14, Leif and His New Land?Have a look
In Chapter 14, Leif and His New Land, Eric's son Leif sailed to Norway to see the mother land and its king. King Olaf, great-grandson of Harald Hairfair, hosted him for the winter and sent him home with two thralls. Blown far south by a north wind, Leif reached an unknown, fertile, wooded land, where his German companion Tyrker found wild grapes. Leif loaded his ship with timber, towed a boat full of grapes, and named the country Wineland. He returned safely to Greenland, to Eric's joy, told of Wineland, and noticed the newcomers Thorbiorn and his daughter Gudrid. Leif grew rich and stayed, but people kept talking of Wineland.
Read the previous lesson: Leif and His New Land →Show what you know!
Use your printable Lesson Guide. Fill in the vocabulary you know, then click to check your work and learn some new words today.
What are the difficult or advanced vocabulary words in Viking Tales Chapter 15, Wineland the Good?widow, canoe, Yule, cast lotsHave a look
- widow: a woman whose husband has died
- canoe: a light, narrow boat moved with paddles
- Yule: Christmas; the old midwinter feast
- cast lots: to decide something by chance, like drawing straws
Locate it on the map!
Use your printable Lesson Guide. Use an atlas and fill in the blank map if you can find the geographic location, then click to check your work.
What important geographic locations connect with Viking Tales Chapter 15, Wineland the Good?
- Find the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Canada): Thorfinn and Gudrid settled Wineland, where their son Snorri was the first European child born in North America.
See these places on the mapHave a look
These match the map in your Lesson Guide.
The Books come Alive!
Read or listen to Chapter 15 of Viking Tales, the Kindred Thicket Enhanced Edition, read by Gillian Hendrie.
Read by Gillian Hendrie for LibriVox (public domain), professionally adjusted and trimmed by Kindred Thicket.
What historical context goes with Chapter 15 of Viking Tales?Parent review
This is a Kindred Thicket Enhanced Edition. Jennie Hall’s 1902 words are read exactly as she wrote them, and we add Teacher’s Notes with historical and cultural context.
- About the whole bookViking Tales is Jennie Hall’s 1902 retelling of old Norse stories drawn from the sagas, such as the Heimskringla and the Vinland sagas. These weave real history together with legend, so the tales are best enjoyed as saga tradition rather than exact history.
- This chapterThis chapter uses older labels for Indigenous peoples from saga tradition and the 1902 retelling. You may want to note that long-established cultures already lived in North America.
- This chapterThis chapter includes slavery and thralldom in the Norse world. You may want to clarify that the story reflects its historical setting, not approval of the practice.
- This chapterThe Norse reached North America around the year 1000, but Indigenous peoples had lived there for thousands of years. The one proven Norse site is in Newfoundland, not the United States.
Memory becomes Action!
Use the Response Resource* to remember and spell tricky names. Choose one way to narrate.
*Materials in the Lesson Guide.
What is the list of names, people, characters, and places that are important in Chapter 15 of Viking Tales?Thorfinn, Gudrid, Biarni, Eric the Red, Leif, Snorri, WinelandHave a look
- Thorfinn: A wealthy Icelandic trader who leads a large party to settle Wineland.
- Gudrid: Thorstein's widow, now Thorfinn's wife; mother of the first Norse child born in the new land.
- Biarni: An Icelandic shipmaster and Thorfinn's companion.
- Eric the Red: The aging chief of Greenland and Gudrid's father-in-law.
- Leif: Leif Ericson, whose earlier voyage and stories guide Thorfinn to Wineland.
- Snorri: Gudrid and Thorfinn's son, born in Wineland; later called the first American of European descent.
- Wineland: The warm, grape-rich land the Norse try to settle; Vinland in North America.
Chapter 15 Q & A
This is a Kindred Thicket Enhanced Edition. We keep Jennie Hall’s 1902 words as written and add historical context. Here are common questions about this chapter.
What happens in Chapter 15 of Viking Tales?
In Chapter 15, Wineland the Good, the trader Thorfinn marries Gudrid and leads three ships and one hundred sixty people to Wineland. They live easily on game and grapes, and Gudrid bears a son, Snorri. Strangers arrive and trade furs, but later attack, and the Norsemen decide to leave. Long after, Wineland is identified as America and statues honor Leif Ericsson.
Did the Vikings really reach North America?
Yes. The Norse reached North America around the year 1000, as Chapter 15 describes through the Wineland voyages. The one proven Norse site is L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, not the United States. Indigenous peoples had already lived across North America for thousands of years before the Norse arrived. The Teacher's Notes give parents this historical context.
Who is Gudrid in Viking Tales?
Gudrid is the wise and beautiful woman introduced late in the book who marries the trader Thorfinn in Chapter 15. She sails with the expedition to Wineland and there bears a son, Snorri, born in the new land. After the settlement is abandoned, Thorfinn takes Gudrid and Snorri home to Iceland, where they live out their lives.
Who were the strangers the Norsemen met in Wineland?
The strangers in Chapter 15 were the Indigenous people already living in North America, whom the Norse first trade with peacefully and later fight. The book uses older labels for these peoples that come from saga tradition and the 1902 retelling. Kindred Thicket keeps the text as written and adds Teacher's Notes with respectful, accurate context for parents.
Why is Wineland important in Viking Tales?
Wineland is important in Chapter 15 because it marks the Norse reaching North America around the year 1000, centuries before later European voyages. The book ends by identifying Wineland as America, calling Snorri the first Winelander, and noting statues raised to Leif Ericsson. The Teacher's Notes help parents place this story within accurate history.