Wonderstrands facts for kids

Wonderstrands (also known as Furðustrandir) is a name from an old Icelandic story called the Eiríks saga. This saga tells about the adventures of Erik the Red, a famous Viking explorer. The Wonderstrands were described as a long stretch of coastline.

People in the saga said the Wonderstrands were located north of a place called Straumfjörð and south of a headland named Kjalarnes. Today, some experts think these "wonder shores" might be the long beaches found on the coast of Labrador in Canada. Other ideas suggest they could be between Gabarus Bay and St. Peter’s Bay on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada.

What Does the Name Mean?

The name Furðustrandir comes from the old Norse language. The first part, furða, means "wonder" or "astonishment." The word furðuligr means "strange." So, Wonderstrands means "strange shores" or "wonder shores." It's interesting because this word furða isn't used in many other old Norse place names.

Where the Saga Says They Are

The Eiríks saga describes the journey to the Wonderstrands. According to the story, the Vikings sailed past several lands before reaching them.

First, they found a land with many flat, large stones. They called this place Helluland, which means "stone-land." After sailing for two "half-days" (which means a period of 12 hours), they saw another land. This land had a big forest and many wild animals. They called it Markland, meaning "forest-land."

Then, after another two "half-days" of sailing, they saw more land. They came to a cape (a piece of land sticking out into the sea). As they sailed along the coast, they found a place with no good harbors but long, sandy beaches. They even found the keel (the bottom part) of an old ship there. They named this spot Kjalarnes, meaning "Keelness" or "Keel Cape."

These long, sandy beaches were the ones they called Furdustrandir, or "wonder-shore." The saga says they called them this because it took a very long time to sail past them. After the Wonderstrands, the coast became more curvy with many small bays.

Where Experts Think They Are Today

Even today, experts don't fully agree on the exact location of the Wonderstrands. Some famous explorers like Fridtjof Nansen and Helge Ingstad even thought that the Saga of Erik the Red might not be completely accurate.

However, many ideas have been suggested for where the Wonderstrands might be. These ideas range from southern Labrador all the way down to coastlines beyond Cape Cod in the United States. Most suggestions place them somewhere south of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. Almost all experts believe they are south of the Strait of Belle Isle.

A more recent idea, from 2012, was put forward by Jónas Kristjánsson. He suggested that the Wonderstrands could be the coastline between L'Anse aux Meadows and Sop's Bay on the island of Newfoundland. This idea is supported by some archaeological findings and geographical observations.

See also

In Spanish: Furðustrandir para niños