Vinland

Vinland was the name Norse explorers gave North America. According to the Viking sagas, it was part of the lands to the west of Greenland. The name is believed to be derived from the wild grapes those early explorers discovered.  A site at L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, which was found in the 1960s, contains the remains of a Norse settlement, offering tangible evidence of European presence in North America long before Columbus.

To me, Vinland symbolizes the spirit of the Norse people, and their seafaring skills.  I wanted to compose an adventurous piece that captured that spirit, and imagined the meeting of two tribes; the Norse and the Native Americans, people who both revered thunder gods!