Norstead, A Viking Port of Trade
Out of the exhibit case and into the hands of visitors…

Tuckmore Lodge

It seems that the community of L’Anse aux Meadows in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador Canada has its own little Viking trade town. Norstead, a recreated Viking Age port of trade is a living history attraction that is owned and operated by the Viking Trail Tourism Association. The attraction was developed as part of the Vikings! 1000 Years Celebrations that were held in 2000 to mark the 1000 year anniversary of Lief Eiriksson’s arrival to Vinland. It was part of a series of events that saw nearly 200 international Viking re-enactors live on site for intervals of two weeks and saw 13 Viking ships from all over the world participate in the Viking Sail fleet. One of which was the Iselendignur, which now resides in Iceland and another was the Snorri, which now calls Norstead her home.

Norstead, A Viking Port of Trade was created to take history out of the exhibit case and place it in the hands of visitors. Costumed interpreters are situated throughout the site to interpret a range of work stations as they relate to the Viking Age. One can visit the Chieftain’s Hall and listen to mysterious Viking tales told by the Chieftain or learn to cook a flatbread over the open fire. The blacksmith demonstrates iron forging and how various implements were made. One can step aboard our full-scale replica Viking ship, Snorri, and learn how the Norse mastered the North Atlantic by using a simple notched stick to measure distance by the stars. Our potter moulds clay into pottery the way Vikings did and our spinner spins sheep fleece into yarn using a drop spindle. The yarn is then dyed using local plants and berries and woven into cloth at the loom.

Being that Norstead is a Viking living history attraction, the site depicts life as it would have been in any of the Scandinavian countries circa 790-1066 AD. The site is inhabited by some 15 costumed interpreters who bring it to life using first and third person narration. These interpreters were all trained in Heritage Interpretation at the College of The North Atlantic in nearby St. Anthony. They were then all instructed in “Interpreting the Viking Age” by a member of the Ontario SCA from Canada. During the training, all participants were taught a variety of skills as they relate to the Viking Age and have since each concentrated on making one or two of them their area of expertise at Norstead.

For lovers of history, a trip back in time can’t be beat.