Qassiarsuk is one of the more well-known places in the old world, at least if it goes by its Norse name, Brattahlid. Here, long into Tunulliarfik Fjord, Erik the Red decided to establish his large farm and several subsequent churches in 982 A.D., presumably after carefully investigating literally every fjord and bay in the entire region.
These are all well-known saga elements, but what is not talked about so much is the more recent theory that the wonderfully-prevalent church ruins at Qassiarsuk are not, in fact, Brattahlid. The present-day curator at Narsarsuaq Museum has spent a lot of time writing a support to this theory, proposing that Erik the Red would have chosen the absolute best location, and Qassiarsuk is not the absolute best location (though it is highly favourable). Not to mention, Vikings were like Greenlanders, assigning place names that closely described the landscape. Brattahlid means 'the steep side', which is not entirely concurrent with Qassiarsuk's landscape.
Come investigate for yourself and see what you think.
This Norse history is one one half of the story, though. In 1924, Otto and Elisabeth (Tiipaaraq) Frederiksen revived the spot when they moved their with their loaned sheep to start the first-ever Inuit sheep farm. Little did they know how many dozens would follow suit over the course of the next few decades.
It is the unique cultural history of Inuit agriculture on the very places where Norse also practiced farming 300 - 500 years prior which earned Qassiarsuk and South Greenland its place on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
These are all well-known saga elements, but what is not talked about so much is the more recent theory that the wonderfully-prevalent church ruins at Qassiarsuk are not, in fact, Brattahlid. The present-day curator at Narsarsuaq Museum has spent a lot of time writing a support to this theory, proposing that Erik the Red would have chosen the absolute best location, and Qassiarsuk is not the absolute best location (though it is highly favourable). Not to mention, Vikings were like Greenlanders, assigning place names that closely described the landscape. Brattahlid means 'the steep side', which is not entirely concurrent with Qassiarsuk's landscape.
Come investigate for yourself and see what you think.
This Norse history is one one half of the story, though. In 1924, Otto and Elisabeth (Tiipaaraq) Frederiksen revived the spot when they moved their with their loaned sheep to start the first-ever Inuit sheep farm. Little did they know how many dozens would follow suit over the course of the next few decades.
It is the unique cultural history of Inuit agriculture on the very places where Norse also practiced farming 300 - 500 years prior which earned Qassiarsuk and South Greenland its place on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
