It is a bit of a running joke in history that the Vikings were the world’s greatest navigators, yet they rarely seemed to end up where they were actually going.
While we usually imagine the Norse as master navigators with a divine sense of direction, the truth is much more human—and much more exciting. Most of us get frustrated if a GPS glitch takes us two blocks out of our way; for the Vikings, a “wrong turn” usually meant discovering a new country. They didn’t have maps or satellite pings; they had the sun, the stars, and a staggering amount of grit.
There is a specific kind of electricity that comes from not knowing exactly what is over the next horizon, but having the guts to sail toward it anyway. Today, we call that “chasing a thrill” or seeking adventure. For the Vikings, however, it was often just a Tuesday. If you feel like chasing that same thrill, today you don’t have to venture out on the high seas, you can visit a site like Mr Bet Casino there you can find games that are challenging, fun and exciting, all without getting lost and risking your life.
Iceland: The Accidental Stepping Stone
The discovery of Iceland is the ultimate “wrong turn” story. Around 860 AD, a Swedish Viking named Naddodd was trying to sail from Norway to the Faroe Islands. A massive storm blew his ship off course, pushing him far into the empty North Atlantic.
Instead of the familiar Faroes, he hit a massive, mountainous island covered in snow. He climbed a mountain, saw no signs of humans, and sailed away, naming it “Snowland.” He didn’t mean to find it; he was literally lost. But his report sparked curiosity, leading others (like the famous Flóki Vilgerðarson) to follow his accidental trail. For those looking for an adventure of their own, searching for high-value entries like a deposit $1 offer can provide a lot of fun and excitement for a very minimal outlay.
Greenland: A Legacy of Exile and Luck
If Iceland was found by a storm, Greenland was found by a man looking for a place to hide. Gunnbjörn Ulfsson was the first to “accidentally” spot the islands off the coast of Greenland when he was blown off course shortly after Iceland was settled. He didn’t even land; he just noted their existence and kept going.
Decades later, Erik the Red found himself in a bit of a bind: he had been exiled from Iceland for “some killings” (as the Sagas politely put it). Remembering the rumors of Gunnbjörn’s accidental sighting, he decided to sail west into the unknown. He wasn’t looking for a new continent; he was just looking for a place where nobody would try to execute him. He stumbled upon the massive fjords of Greenland, realized it was habitable, and—in a stroke of marketing genius—named it “Greenland” to convince people to move there.
Vinland: The Most Famous Wrong Turn in History
The crowning achievement of Viking exploration—reaching North America—was perhaps the biggest accident of all.
Around 986 AD, a merchant named Bjarni Herjólfsson was sailing from Iceland to Greenland to visit his father. He had no map and had never made the trip before. A heavy fog rolled in, followed by north winds that blew him south for days. When the sky cleared, he saw a land that was flat and covered in woods.
Bjarni knew one thing: Greenland was supposed to have massive glaciers. Since this new land didn’t have any, he realized he was in the wrong place. He didn’t even go ashore. He simply turned his boat around and sailed north until he hit Greenland. It wasn’t until years later that Leif Erikson, hearing Bjarni’s “I got lost” story, bought Bjarni’s old ship and retraced the route to officially discover “Vinland” (Newfoundland).
The “Luck” of the Sea-Kings
Why did “chance” play such a huge role? It comes down to the Viking method of navigation. They didn’t have compasses; they relied on:
- Latitude Sailing: Staying on a specific line by watching the sun and stars.
- Wildlife cues: Watching the flight paths of birds or the migration of whales.
- Coastal hugging: Keeping land in sight whenever possible.
When a storm hit and pushed them into the “Big Empty” of the open ocean, these methods failed. At that point, a Viking had two choices: give up and die, or keep sailing until they hit something. They chose the latter, over and over again.
