Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen facts for kids
Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen (born January 15, 1872 – died November 25, 1907) was a Danish writer, expert on cultures (ethnologist), and explorer. He came from a town called Ringkøbing in Denmark. He is best known for his important explorations in Greenland.
Contents
Exploring Greenland
The Literary Expedition
Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen joined forces with Count Harald Moltke and Knud Rasmussen to create the Danish Literary Expedition. This journey took place from 1902 to 1904. During the early part of the trip in 1902, they found two mountain ranges in West Greenland that were not covered in ice. These were near a place called Kangerlussuatsiaq Fjord.
Later, the group traveled to Cape York. They lived there for ten months, learning and living like the local Inuit people. Their trip back to Upernavik was very special. They crossed the ice of Melville Bay using sledges. This was the first time anyone had ever done this.
The Denmark Expedition
From 1906 to 1908, Mylius-Erichsen led a big journey called the Denmark Expedition. His main goal was to explore and map the entire coastline of northeast Greenland. This area was mostly unknown at the time. He spent three months working in the field.
The expedition used sledges to travel more than 4,000 miles (6,436 km). This was a record for any Arctic team at that time. Mylius-Erichsen himself traveled over 1,000 miles (1,609 km).
Their discoveries showed that earlier maps by Robert Peary were wrong. Peary's map showed a coast that went southeast from Navy Cliff. But Mylius-Erichsen's team found that the coast actually went northeast. This added about 100,000 square miles (259,000 km2) to Greenland. It also extended Greenland much further than previously thought.
Mylius-Erichsen's exploration also proved that a waterway called Peary Channel did not exist. Two years later, another explorer named Ejnar Mikkelsen (1880–1971) led a new Danish expedition. He thought the channel existed until he found Mylius-Erichsen's report. This report was in a stone pile (cairn) at the top of Danmark Fjord. In it, Mylius-Erichsen had clearly written:
... the Peary Channel does not exist.
Mylius-Erichsen confirmed that Greenland was one continuous landmass. It stretched from Cape Farewell in the south (60° N) all the way to the most northern land ever reached (83° 39' N). He also found and explored large fjords like Danmark, Hagen, and Brønlund.
A Difficult Journey
Mylius-Erichsen, along with Niels Peter Høeg Hagen and a Greenlander named Jørgen Brønlund, faced a very tough situation. They had been misled by old maps. Their journey became so long that they could not return to their ship in the spring. They had to spend the summer near the Denmark Fjord. They did not have the right footwear for hunting in the rocky area.
Because they needed food for themselves and their dogs, they had to reduce their three dog teams to just one. Finally, in September, they could start their trip back. They traveled on the newly frozen sea ice around the northeastern corner of Greenland. But when they reached the southern shore of Mallemuk Mountain, they found open water. This forced them to travel inland.
Sadly, Mylius-Erichsen and Hagen died on this journey. They suffered from hunger, extreme tiredness, and cold while walking on the ice of the Nioghalvfjerd Fjord. The next spring, Koch found Hagen's map sketches and Brønlund's body, along with his diary, in Lambert Land. Some reports left by Mylius-Erichsen at Danmark Fjord were found by Ejnar Mikkelsen in 1912. He brought them back to Copenhagen.
His Writings
Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen also wrote several books:
- Tatere (1898), a play
- Vestjyder (1900), a collection of tales
- Den Jydske Hede før og nu (1903)
- Isblink (1904), poems about Greenland
- Grønland (1906)
- A report about the nonexistence of Peary Channel, published in Meddelelser om Grønland, volume xli (1913). This report was edited by Ejnar Mikkelsen.
Honored for His Work
Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen was honored in several ways:
- A place in northern Greenland, Mylius-Erichsen Land, was named after him.
- There is a Denmark Expedition Memorial in Copenhagen.
- In 1933, 25 years after the expedition, a silver medal was made to remember him. This medal was issued by Alf Trolle, who was the captain of the expedition ship Danmark. He also led the Denmark expedition after Mylius-Erichsen's death.
See also
In Spanish: Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen para niños
