Did Vikings Explore New England?

Happy Leif Erikson Day! In 1957, an amateur archaeologist found a medieval Norse penny on a beach in Maine. Does this mean Viking explorers made it to the continental United States? No. Well, maybe. Yes! Actually, nobody knows.
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~REFERENCES~
[1] Svein H. Gullbekk. “The Norse Penny Reconsidered: The Goddard Coin-Hoax or Genuine?” Journal of the North Atlantic, no. 33 (2017): Page 1-8 www.jstor.org/...
[2] Robert McGhee. “Contact between Native North Americans and the Medieval Norse: A Review of the Evidence.” American Antiquity 49, no. 1 (1984): Page 4-26 doi.org/10.230...
[3] Marshall McKusick & Erik Wahlgren. “The Norse Penny Mystery.” Archaeology of Eastern North America 8 (1980): Page 1-10 www.jstor.org/s...
[4] Kayla Fish. Maine's mysterious Viking penny part 1: real or hoax? (2018). KZbin • Maine's mysterious Vik...

[@keegandecker4080]

As a Mainer, I’m absolutely thrilled that we’ve been mentioned in something. I’m going to wake up the whole village and we’re going to load this bad boy up on the library computer.

[@genericbeansmile756]

Lol… and the library must be 90% Stephen King books

[@keegandecker4080]

@@genericbeansmile756 95%

[@anthonyoer4778]

​@keegandecker4080, what's the other 5%, LLBean catalogs?

[@keegandecker4080]

@@anthonyoer4778 it’s unfortunately HP Lovecraft novels

[@petertorvik8413]

your library has a computer?

[@MortalWombat1988]

"But Mainstream academic historians, who hate fun and have probably never even once watched Beowulf and Grendel on five dry grams of Golden Teacher, are just terrified to suggest such things, because...they hate America". Just want this sentence documented somewhere.

[@richard6196]

Certainly one of the takes ever.

[@M.M.83-U]

I applaud your initiative on such matter.

[@Soren015]

I think I need some business cards that say "Fur Trader / Sex Worker" as well... 😂

[@history_by_lamplight]

I really think he reached a pinnacle of genius with this one.

[@ryangriffin1998]

Which is ridiculous, because you'll be laughed out of any respectable archaeologist's symposium if it comes out that you HAVEN'T taken a first-person tour of the life of Otzi the Iceman once you've taken at least three tickets to a Lazy Sunday Drive.

[@IronPiedmont]

I never thought I needed Atun Shei drunkenly roasting Maine till now.

[@Imperiused]

ONLY 163 Dunkin' Donut locations in the the entire state. Can you imagine???

[@mateusz73]

@@Imperiused THE FUCKIN' BARBARIANS

[@moosemaimer]

@@Imperiused Where am I supposed to get an apple fritter at this time of day?

[@shawnwales696]

The only plus the state has is that both Steven King & Joe Hill are from there originally.

[@thecreweofthefancy]

This is the first time I have ever heard somebody roast Maine....

[@emceebois]

"Fur trader slash sex worker" damn people 1000 years ago were really on that sigma grindset.

[@jeffengel2607]

I am totally adopting "fur trader" as a prostitute euphemism now.

[@Usammityduzntafraidofanythin]

@@jeffengel2607 *furry trader

[@LucasDimoveo]

@@jeffengel2607😂

[@dmar4194]

"shags and shags"

[@Julianna.Domina]

​@@jeffengel2607Fur, sausage, milk, cream, I trade in it all

[@StefanMilo]

"the evidence....vibes" 😅 I need to operate more on a vibes based reasoning. It must be so freeing.

[@janvangils5560]

it used to be the leading movement with ancient historians "ow my brother had a dream about this"

[@burninsherman1037]

It really is.

[@sakuuuto]

i know we're joking but in some cases listening to your gut and vibes is really helpful. like if you get a bad feeling about somebody with no proof, you'd stay away from them

[@WampusWrangler]

Why not start now then, what vibe do you get about the Vikings being in New England? I'm very curious to know.

[@SunflowerSocialist]

On behalf of the state of Maine: Thou art a wretched sinner, utterly unworthy of Gods love

[@davidross2004]

On behalf of the English language: Thou art a wretched sinner, utterly unworthy of “God’s” love. The fact that thou didst not decline the name of God to show possession, and instead wrote “Gods”, indicating a belief in multiple deities, demonstrates a most foul and depraved evidence of pagan heathenry. Repent, servant of Lucifer, and ask God for mercy, for I have none!

[@barlotardy]

Aye, t'is so.

[@marekvincibr5884]

Like someone from Maine knows anything about Gods love.

[@johnracine4589]

Having only 163 statewide Dunkin’ locations is truly a sign of wretched heathenry.

[@surprisedchar2458]

@@marekvincibr5884we know more about it than the Massholes.

[@historynerd37]

Drunk hypothesizing about vikings visiting New England was the laugh a beleaguered history teacher needed today. Leif Erikson Day specials are always a pleasant little gem.

[@jeffreywilliams3421]

Ahh yes, Atun-Shei, goofy clothing, historical discussion, and of course, booze.

[@TheJTcreate]

Yeah but he forgot the makeup. LOL

[@TTTristan1]

And now introducing: Fur Trading Sex Workers!

[@kkupsky6321]

Excuse me. Lots of us do this. We’re called buffs.

[@kkupsky6321]

Winoes*

[@dustymayfire]

Don't forget constantly almost-spilling his drink lol

[@CleverRiley9]

Happy Leif Erikson day nerds! Also as a proud citizen of the Merrimack Valley the Maine slander is absolutely based and well deserved. Theyre awful creatures who steal our crops and catalytic converters.

[@theshenpartei]

Same here I love the main bashing

[@Skiivin]

You cosmopolitan dwellers of the putrid cities know nothing of the peace to be found in the pastoral rural New England ways

[@Poltard]

I thought detroit did that

[@coryspang7548]

I thought teens in Ohio were doing that

[@riffler24]

"Mainers and Massholes are natural enemies, like New Hampshirites and Massholes, or Vermonters and New Hampshirites, or Mainers and New Hampshirites" "You New Englanders sure are a contentious people" "You just made an enemy for life!"

[@pablo_giustiniani]

Watching Ralof from Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim ranting about Northeast US while getting fucked up on bad vodka is an absolute vibe and I love it

[@therealunclevanya]

I thought he looks like Jaime Lannisters older brother ;)

[@vgoncalves1985]

Dollar Store Jaime Lannister

[@inappropriatejohnson]

Fact: Mainers hate outsiders almost as much as they hate insiders.

[@Buzzy_Bland]

Almost.

[@greycatturtle7132]

Lmao

[@moosemaimer]

You Mainiacs sure are a contentious people.

[@antlerbraum2881]

@@moosemaimer My favorite nickname for Maineliners

[@StephenMcGann]

We definitely hate outsiders on the inside the most

[@Stoneworks]

LETS GO NEWPORT TOWER #1 VIKING SITE BABY LETS GO WOOOOOO Edit: Damn nevermind

[@nykrev]

😂

[@Crabapplez]

Rip stoneworks Minecraft Newport tower is a lie rip

[@robertborland5083]

I love the edit.

[@voltairethegoldflame9280]

hahaha

[@LyricalDJ]

... Just wondering what Scandinavian viewers might think about that.. or, heck, those from Ireland or the UK. I know, I'm a hoot.

[@griffingerrein8831]

"Visions of the younger dryas flood while on Ayahuasca in peru", is such a beautiful phrase that it made me cry

[@Nikolapoleon]

This reminds of a couple of years ago, when a Catholic reliquary from the Middle Ages was unearthed in Jamestown. Could that mean [gasp!] that the Knights Templar arrived in America during the Middle Ages and landed at the Jamestown site??? No. Of course not. It was a family heirloom belonging to one of the original English colonists, and it was buried alongside him when he died in 1609.

[@moosemaimer]

Sort of like when the remains of an ancient walled city were discovered in Africa, and historians were all abuzz... trying to decide which of the Twelve Tribes of Judah must have traveled there and built it, because _nobody in Africa knows how to build a wall, don't be ridiculous!_

[@Nikolapoleon]

I think that's different. It has the common thread of being bad archeology, but the case that myself and Andy described are both examples specifically of the idea that "only the people who made it can own it," which is a surprisingly common concept in the wide world of sensational pseudohistory.

[@surprisedchar2458]

That’s just what those fiendish Assassins want you to think!

[@markthomas6703]

​@@moosemaimerWithout us, they can't build anything of stone

[@SeanHartnett-t8c]

@@moosemaimerBuilding a wall isn’t hard, they absolutely could have.

[@thewitchbasket]

As a Mainer, this thumbnail makes me *extremely* happy :) Edit: can confirm, it's anarchy north of Bangor. Before I moved south of Augusta, my mother and I ate exclusively raw moose meat with our bare hands and the closest we got to electricity was lightning striking nearby trees.

[@surprisedchar2458]

You really gotta stop speaking ill of the people who live up in The County. They keep the Weremoose at bay, and if we make them too upset they’ll let them loose again.

[@anthonyoer4778]

​@@surprisedchar2458is it true the weremoose of Maine can only be appeased by virgins but since Maine has no virgins the cars must drive around with rusted exhaust pipes to scare them off as best the can?

[@DERP_Squad]

​@@surprisedchar2458Let loose the moose upon the hoose.

[@eric2500]

But that was boasting, not speaking ill! BTW I am assuming that the bay you keep the Weremoose at is Of Funday.@@surprisedchar2458

[@SomeFrenchie]

As a Bangorite I can confirm that everything he said is true. We have to fight off the great cave troll human hybrid raids constantly like we're the damn nights watch

[@beckymcdonald9529]

Winter is coming

[@JonPITBZN]

But Game of Thrones didn't have cave trolls. That's a Lord of the Rings thing.

[@ruthbennett7563]

@@JonPITBZN it is known. Even ice-wighted giants by another name know how to play along for the fun of Maine-shading. 😂

[@JonPITBZN]

@@ruthbennett7563 sorry, I was going for a callback to "Vikings didn't wear breastplates, that's a Game of Thrones thing"

[@Beairstoboy]

My family's from Boothbay and Calais, does that make me troll-born in this scenario? Because I know they're inbred enough to do that up there...

[@TheScaftin]

Okay okay, I’ve gotta defend my state here. First off, we do have electricity north of Bangor, several dozen hard working moose have been running on treadmill to power those human bone houses for years now. You also failed to mention that those 163 Dunkin locations equate to about 50 Dunks per person. Oh and were chill with the cave trolls now, it was touch and go for a while but we’ve been trading them edibles for protection for a few years now.

[@Oksana2501]

as a brunswicker i can confirm that your description of maine is spot on

[@brianphelps2415]

Belfast here, and while he's not wrong. He shouldn't be spreading it. We don't want your bone hut tourists!

[@asapaul7671]

Hello from across the bridge, y’all are lovely but I hate god damn black and orange dragons

[@Sakai070]

From Bath and now living in Brunswick, yeah I hate the black and orange too

[@newindianajones1]

Happy Leif Erikson Day everyone!

[@honorablechairmanmeow8698]

HINGA DINGA DURGEN!

[@theshenpartei]

@@honorablechairmanmeow8698skol

[@NuggetMilitia1]

HINGA DINGA DURGEN

[@AncientAmericas]

It ain't Leif Erikson day without a word from Atun-Shei.

[@BrandonF]

Do you mean to have us believe you WOULDN'T totally vibe with houses made of human bones and cave troll relations?

[@nobodyliar]

but bones taste yummmmmm

[@Justanotherconsumer]

Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn.

[@furiousapplesack]

He must have forgotten we can all still see his video on Ravenous, lol

[@emilynelson5985]

If you’ve ever travel to PEI and get an idea of the erosion you can get out there, a major coastal settlement could have just melted into the gulf of Saint Lawrence and we’d be none the wiser.

[@ig-8887]

"go north of Bangor and it's like a fucking Cormac McCarthy Novel" This is by far the best sentence Atunshei has every said.

[@MadMadCommando]

We need more of this in academia. Hot takes under the influence of terrible flavoured vodka. If anyone writes some whinny peer reviewed papers proving you wrong, just blame the Truly seltzer company!

[@moxiebombshell]

I mean, that sounds like the academics I know... They just don't write that stuff down (and frown on anyone keeping incriminating evidence in the form of photos or video 😅)

[@jamesharding3459]

@@moxiebombshell It also sounds like some of the Army types I know. If half the S-types aren't obviously hungover at the Monday morning staff meeting, something is very, very off.

[@moxiebombshell]

@@jamesharding3459 Some (okay, most) of the Navy types I know, too 😅

[@ecurewitz]

Right? None of my professors were shitfaced on the job, though I did have a junior high school history teacher who was

[@moxiebombshell]

@@ecurewitz hey, you too? 😅

[@gooeyooey1792]

As a Massachusetts resident, I'm happy that some Atun-Shei films are just for us.

[@LucasDimoveo]

Love that the accent slowly comes out and he has to make an effort to get back into American standard 😅

[@MetallicaMan76]

Deep in my heart of hearts I knew the $50 jug of plum mead I bought from the Big E was destined for some greater purpose. I look forward to you dropping the Leif Erikson Day special every year. Move over Columbus!! Make way for the true explorers!! I'll be raising a toast to you later Brother Andy, when i can enjoy this thoroughly. SKOAL!!

[@annematusiewicz3712]

A Viking accusing people of mating with trolls is the ultimate insult. Thanks for that detail and for the excellent burp at 10:45.

[@dartagnancassell5733]

A superb performance, the degree to which monsieur Shei was able to enunciate his lines without flaw was impeccable. Could hardly even notice the booze hitting him like a sack of bricks.

[@chimpofthecosmicdawn3863]

I can confirm that what he says about Maine is true. Grew up in the southern part but going far enough north woukd land you in a totally different world. Every mile has a spot that is an establishing shot for a horror movie. Delapidated farm houses? Check! Roads that carve through the middle of nowhere that has a lone phone booth sitting under a single flickering flourescent streetlight? CHECK! Locals you can barely make out who keep asking you if youre lost? Oh, you best believe that's a big ol' checkmark! Great video as usual, Atun-shei. Keep up the great work.

[@HansLemurson]

I suppose that most people who travel those roads are lost, lured there by a phantom voice saying "Turn left at the next intersection..."

[@chimpofthecosmicdawn3863]

@@HansLemurson lmao

[@wezacker6482]

+1 for acknowledging that a good portion of trade in all eras was not for beads and pelts and trinkets and stuff, but, instead, fueled the world's oldest profession, which spans all cultures and eras of human history. I support your theory.

[@LollipopKnight2]

Happy Leif Erikson Day! Honestly, I find the idea that Viking artifacts arrived in New England by intracontinental trade more fun than the idea that Vikings came to New England. Means we might find Viking artifacts traded to other corners of the broader North American continent, and makes everything feel more connected than series of individual voyages.

[@francisnopantses1108]

We'll always have coconuts and sweet potato (traded by Polynesians in one, great voyage).

[@jurgnobs1308]

also, considering where greenland is, it would be weird if leif eriksons trip was the one and only. it just makes sense to try to establish trade and such

[@antonnurwald5700]

Yeah, nice thought, i like that. In all the history channels i watch, the most thrilling thing for me are the stories of how connected the world was even in ancient times (albeit not by aryan über-aliens).

[@paulastiles5507]

I think the best argument for the Norse exploring into New England and deeper toward the Great Lakes is their penchant for going up and down rivers (Kyiv fairly leaps to mind here). But we lack concrete proof.

[@eric2500]

They have - in the province north of Minnesota.

[@InrangeTv]

This is brilliant. The history I need and crave.

[@thomaszupan6308]

I really like this video because it feels more personal and like a different time. Thank you for this mini-side-series and I can't wait to see the Sudbury Devil and the conclusion to Checkmate, Lincolnites!

[@willpeterson838]

Atun Shei Films went full on Drunk History.

[@henryhowland4093]

Didn’t even get a notification, I just suddenly remembered it was Leif Erikson day and I should come here

[@DenPlatypuz]

The thumbnail got me excited to enjoy some fun Maine representation. Now I'm at the credits and can't decide if I should be grumpy or just be happy we got talked about at all.

[@williamedge5130]

Please, everyone knows Maine doesn’t really exist

[@otakunthevegan4206]

I love having my birthday fall on Leif Erikson day, it makes your videos on early Norse contact (something that greatly interests me) like an extra gift.

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

Happy birthday!🎉🎂🎁

[@arvojustice]

I like how you get progressively more plastered as the video goes on lol Happy Leif Erikson day!

[@The_SupremeKing]

As a Mainer I can confirm he was not exaggerating. I have to consistently make a blood magic sacrifice every full moon bathed with a mixture of Yeti blood and Werewolf urine just to make my crumbling stone hut a hospitable environment for an internet connection.

[@severalwolves]

haha I used to ghostwrite for those “vanity published local history books”… and I am very much NOT a historian. I was just out of college and trying to build up my client base and portfolio as a copywriter, and was in the right place and time to land the gig. I was also one of the few writers who was willing to actually double check the references listed on Wikipedia pages, but not scrupulous enough to let that get in the way of a fun story TOO much.

[@Poohze01]

I applaud your dedication to commemorating Leif Erikson day each year - It's always fun!

[@drharoldpontiffcoomer]

That Holy Grail reference at the very beginning was perfect.

[@DarthMatusHolocron]

So I am an archaeologist, and I did a study on the Stone Chambers of New England for the University of Boston. These chambers are close to bodies of water, all aligned with the stars, and all just a blank, flat empty stone room built partially underground. They are spread all across New England, hundreds of them. I posited that the most likely explanation for their construction was to be used as Viking waystations. The Vikings had no compass, they used the stars. If you were exploring a vast, new land, it'd be helpful to build a frame of reference. One could stand in the doors of these chambers, and know your heading immediately thanks to their astronomical alignment. They would also function well as storerooms for dried goods, which means if you were out and about exploring you could restock supplies, check your position, and get some fresh water. There are no records I was able to find that support this, but I found it likely considering we know for sure Vikings were nearby in Newfoundland, and these stone chambers dont exist outside New England; youd figure thered be many more spread much further if it was a native survival trick. My bet is Vikings. Maybe worth a look into yourself for a video one of these days

[@SeanHartnett-t8c]

interesting idea

[@Captain-Sum.Ting-Wong]

Isn't the more mainstream theory that the stone chambers were nothing more than colonial era root cellars?

[@DarthMatusHolocron]

@@Captain-Sum.Ting-Wong no that theory isn't very widely accepted to my knowledge. Many of the chambers are comfortable dated to around 1000-1100 based on soil samples taking from the top of many of the chambers

[@SeanHartnett-t8c]

@@Captain-Sum.Ting-Wong But why above geoumd.

[@nothuman3083]

Natives where about to start the iron age in North America, South America they could smelt down pure iron already. They where however mainly focused on Bronze since copper in the New world is abundant and tin. At the start of the conquest of the New world you had bronze spear tips, bronze chest plates, you had tribes trading across the contients.

[@Enirahtak8]

You know an Atun-Shei video's going to possibly be even better than usual when it starts off with a decent Monty Python reference... I shall enjoy.... Edit: Well, I wasn't expecting a drunk history video. Good fun, good fun.

[@chrisball3778]

The Newport Tower rabbit hole is actually quite interesting, even when you rule out the stupid explanations like it being built by Vikings or the Chinese. It's almost certainly a windmill, but it's a very unusual design. In fact, there's only one other surviving windmill of the type, Chesterton Windmill in Warwickshire, England (a local landmark to me). It's thought that Newport Tower was built by a 17th century man called Benedict Arnold (great-grandfather of the famous traitor). The fact he built a windmill in such an unusual design led some historians to suggest that he may have lived in Leamington, Warwickshire- a town near Chesterton- prior to doing the colonialism thing. However, it's now considered much more likely that he lived in a completely different village much further south called Limington, Somerset (because Britain is a very silly place). But he may have seen Chesterton Windmill while travelling, as it stands very near the Fosse Way, a Roman Road that was still one of England's main cross-country roads in the 17th century. for some reason he saw this weird windmill once and decided he wanted to build a copy of it on another continent. It's like Puritans had the idea for Las Vegas 300 years early... but with less gambling and more church.

[@ernestcline2868]

@chrisball3778 Considering that Arnold received a full pardon for being a traitor to the king, it is rather unfair to bring that up.

[@enemyspotted2467]

@@ernestcline2868 He was NOT pardoned by the US after committing treason. Also fuck that guy, he slaughtered surrendering troops at The Battle of Groton Heights.

[@eric2500]

Las Vegas with NO SIN and NO evil THOUGHTS about sin and *so *much *church!

[@eric2500]

😋😂! Puritan Vegas!

[@philiphockenbury6563]

It’s anti Las Vegas! It’s actually hospitable and capable of sustaining human life and full of churches trying to destroy sin.

[@senecaflint6853]

The eastern seaboard of the present-day US, along with Greenland, Iceland, and Northern Europe, had significantly warmer than usual temperatures around 1000 AD. It’s entirely possible that Newfoundland looked more like modern-day New Brunswick or Maine at the time.

[@SnowCones101]

you hate america

[@senecaflint6853]

@@SnowCones101 I do?

[@ElderScold]

As a native of Fall River, MA (currently living in Colorado) I found your video both funny and educational. While I doubt the Vikings got as far south as the land of coffee milk and linguica sandwiches, I can see them reaching Maine. Thanks for another fun one.

[@dudlydjarbum2045]

Mainer here. Been really hoping for a video on the penny. Love you bring that movie up here.

[@TikoVerhelst]

Dear Atun, the way you talk about "archeologists/historians who hate fun". As a first year bachelor (university) History student, I feel that one. I really do. This video is a great motivation to continue crawling through boring academic texts for university. Because in the later years, I'll be able to get into the archives and do the fun stuff! (At the end of the day, I, just like you, just wanna rant about local folklore. Which for me means premodern and mediaeval Dutch/Belgian fun stupid stuff told by the old men of the villages when drunk.)

[@dgatos42]

I’m just starting the video, so if this isn’t mentioned then let grant strike me dead, but it’s really fun that the Norse and Inuit peoples encountered each other and these meetings are recorded in both Norse written history and Inuit oral histories. It’s fun that they used to prank each other, and these pranks are recorded

[@dgatos42]

Ah, seven minutes in it’s mentioned, still a great video!

[@dustind4694]

Honestly it's that 'the horror, the horror' look as the time period is examined in text that really does the work, but the Kubrick Stare is great too.

[@haystackyarn]

Best thumbnail ever! And the video did not disappoint

[@danielgertler5976]

Me: Love that Atun-shei committed to this drunk act for the whole video. Atun-shei: Act?

[@faramirbutnothatone]

I live in MN and we still managed to make up viking lore for our state. Why my town has a park named after Leif Erikson will forever be a mystery to me.

[@superextempman]

You guys have the most people with Scandinavian ancestry of any state in the US besides maybe Wisconsin... The fake Viking lore was probably Scandinavian immigrants developing stories to be like "We are not truly newcomers we had ancestors here before!" Also explains why you have a park named after a major Scandinavian folkhero

[@allanalogmusicat78rpm]

There's a Leif Erickson statue in Seattle, for crying out loud!@@superextempman

[@DakotaInvictus]

Joyful time to celebrate on this day of Leif Erikson and his adventures

[@XenoFonia]

That maniacal face at the end that Andrew made, it had nothing to do with the puritan English rage of the early modern New Englanders as contextualised by the book he was reading. Andrew is just Balkan through his father, and sometimes it manifests like epilepsy; we have no idea what happened once the cameras stopped rolling.

[@Netheferious]

This is optimal historical commentary.

[@jamesthegamer523]

I grew up in Maine and can confirm the Vikings visited us frequently. We'd play darts on Saturdays

[@ryaneick1321]

Only recently discovered your channel after viewing a Sudbury Devil trailer (still haven't seen it, really really want to), your stuff is great! Did a report on Leif Erikson when I was in 6th grade, and I remember talking about it at Thanksgiving with my Grandpa, who was part of the Knights of Columbus, meaning he was very pro-a certain Genoan sailor. He adamantly dismissed all evidence I kept sharing evidence of "yes, Vikings definitely did show up before Columbus", which at this time had been accepted as fact. For all of Grandpa Steve's many great qualities, I guess he was one of those fun-haters - suggesting Newfoundland was bad enough, can only image what he'd say abut Maine. I always think of that on Leif Erikson Day. Either way keep up the great work, love the channel, and happy Leif Erikson Day!

[@alansmithee8831]

Hello Atun-Shei. I am from Yorkshire in "old" England and Vikings definitely came here and settled. The local dialect is more influenced by Norse than other bits of England and the local fishing boats are developed from Viking boats. Leif Erikson day allows me to repeat one of my favourite conspiracy theories. I heard it told that the English fishermen caught lots of fish from somewhere in medieval times, enough to help make England rich. It is not likely that the fishing grounds would be something that you would tell everyone, for commercial and for national security reasons, because of tax revenue and export income. Note that Icelandic and local fishermen were still coming to blows over "traditional" fishing grounds in living memory. Suddenly some Italian chap called Christopher decided to try to steal Leif Erikson day and land a ship in the Caribbean. To keep the fishing grounds it would be necessary for some other Italian called John to get funded by Richard Ameryk to go "find" the "new land" too, thereby giving names to Newfoundland and to America. However, it seemed this raised suspicion that someone knew what they were going to find in the first place. So as not to be seen as secretive and untrustworthy, some other Italian called Amerigo would get the blame for the name and all would be well. I take no responsibility for this theory, but it would surely upset those academic types. I wonder if anyone ever did an an analysis on medieval English fish bones? Only codding! I hope your recent film does well in cinemas. If not, you may put my name to it.

[@philiphockenbury6563]

That’s a cool conspiracy theory. Not sure if it is real or not.

[@JayElMitchell]

This is my first video from this guy. Is this the usual format? Getting increasingly more intoxicated while discussing history? Because I dig it.

[@christianbottorff3644]

A short Leif Erikson Day special, but an educational one, none the less.

[@lucykwiatek5159]

I'm learning so much about places to absolutely visit in Brooklyn.

[@ChristheRedcoat]

Watching this reminds me of Norumbega Tower in Weston, MA. I drove by it, once. Weird little stone monument erected in 1889 that claims to mark the spot of an old Norse settlement. Very weird and very crackpot.

[@nedoran5758]

Norumbega is purpotedly the name of a Viking city that existed in Maine in prior times, near or on the site of Bangor. Not mentioned in this video somehow?

[@benjamin3044]

@2:12 - Most honest man on KZbin.

[@alecterkanian442]

I live in Newport and I work in a Viking named establishment so I have to explain to people the whole thing. But there is a guy in Newport who runs (or used to run) the Newport Tower museum who is trying to convince people that the Newport Tower is a "Cathedral to the New World" designed by famed occultist John Dee. I need to go to that museum sometime

[@tanker6473]

I love the Viking Hotel. I stay there every time I'm in town....and I live on the other side of the bay from you.

[@markcarleton8283]

I used to work at Harpo's. We spent a lot of time smoking spliffs at the tower. I can't imagine why it isn't known when it was built and by whom.

[@richardaiken1]

As someone who grew up in RI, spent some time in Fall River, and currently lives in Maine north of Bangor; you nailed it.

[@jessethomas9221]

When I was but a wee lad gambolling about the bucolic streets and fields of Montpelier, whispered legends spoke of a wretched, fallen 'Northeast Kingdom' where folk of otherwise-civilized lands did have... dealings... with barbarous Mainers. They were a strange and untrustworthy folk, up there in the mountainous hinterland, and we were taught to avoid speech with them. A policy which has served me well to this very day. Good on ya, Mr. Atun-Shei, for warning all and sundry about the dangers of Perfidious Maine.

[@frankthetank2550]

This is surprisingly light and chill for an Atun-Sh- Oh, nevermind, there it is.

[@ThyBluebell]

This is my reminder what the day is, many thanks

[@As8bakwTheSage]

As someone from Vermont, can confirm everything you have said about Maine. It is truly a lawless place.

[@James2005.]

The moment I realized it was Leif Eirikson day I knew you were going to upload!

[@jacobmeadows2940]

Been in the theatre for seven years now (community). My guy’s acting is top tier relative to my personal experience.

[@TheKarotechia]

People often overestimate the role of barter in these kinds of societies regarding the distribution of goods. Viking age Iceland had a rather extensive and complicated gift economy, which probably also influenced the Greenlanders. Giving fancy stuff to local chiefs and such could have been a way to maintain good relations while the Greenlanders cut down trees for lumber. And the natives probably had their own gift economy. Gifts in a gift economy are generallly not hoarded but they are passed along in order to create and maintain other relations. An original gift of some coins to a local chief could pretty fast be scattered far and wide. Showing of with fancy gifts from queer strangers could a good way to gain status

[@agentwashingtub9167]

I was wondering what Atun-Shei would for Lief Erickson day this year. I wasn’t expecting a drunk ramble but I’m happy with it 😂

[@someoneelsedoit8706]

Love to see Andy roasting my home state while toasted on Vodka. Happy Lief Erikson Day! Hinga Durnga Durgen!

[@yucczucc1401]

As someone who has never been to Maine, I can say that the Maine slander is accurate.

[@antoniabenson5165]

As a Mainer who happens to also be an archaeology student... I enjoyed this immensely.

[@edspace.]

Happy Leif Erikson Day. I remember once an interesting discussion of a site in South-Western Massachusetts, the name escapes me but what it was a mound 3 foot high (7 if we include the area below ground) and beneath its top soil it was composed of slag from iron smelting. One of them was arguing this as physical proof that the Book of Mormon had historical foundation while the other saw it as proof the Vikings settled in the modern United States and a third argued it was proof of the 1421 hypothesis but was persuaded that it was too far from any navigable rivers for a Ming fleet to have made a base near there. A question I never found an answer from them was "Could Indigenous Americans have been smelting Iron in the area?" having seen evidence of Algonquin Iron artifacts from before 1492 it made sense to me that it was near an Indigenous American iron forge.

[@trolltalwar]

North american indians didnt know how to work with metal. Perhaps they learned from the norse?

[@edspace.]

@@trolltalwar Interesting, as I'm not sure when the first Algonquin iron artifacts were from the Norse sounds a likely explanation.

[@launchalot8745]

My favorite Norse-history youtuber. Love the consistency of uploads!

[@VivBrodock]

Theres a reason every Stephen King novel is set in Maine.

[@derekp2674]

Great video - thanks very much and Happy Leif Erikson Day Everyone!

[@BardovBacchus]

As soon as I saw the thumbnail I thought, "Is it Leif Erikson Day already?!?" Speaking of historians who don't like fun, if Maine and the Gulf of St Lawrence, then why not The Great Lakes? Going back 200 years, there are lots of Svens and Olis in WI and MN who swear they found viking things from a thousand years ago

[@zacharyb5701]

Atun-Shei has unlocked a new level of amazingness. A++

[@tomhalla426]

The most valuable trade goods the Norse would have had readily available would have been ironwork, knives or ax heads or such. The nasty issue with that is that they would have long since corroded away.

[@genericbeansmile756]

I was thinking that, but wouldn’t there at least be some bits of driftwood from the ax handles to carbon date?

[@LesHaskell]

Whoa! You mentioned the Piscataqua River. My 8th great-grandfather Thomas Crockett operated a ferry across it in the early to mid 1600s. And speaking of local vanity history I used to live in Bedford, Massachusetts (they have the flag that was carried at the rude bridge that arched the flood) and Billerica (where Thomas Ditson, the real Yankee Doodle who went to Boston for to buy a firelock was from). This video is as awesome as my dad reciting "Aunt Shaw's Pet Jug" from memory! Ayuh.

[@grapeshot]

I think Dunkin Donuts coffee is much better than Starbucks coffee☕️☕️☕️

[@theshenpartei]

Yes

[@briangarrow448]

I vote for Dutch Brothers, from Oregon.

[@theshenpartei]

@@briangarrow448or don’s donuts in la

[@mikescott8605]

As a Mainer, I feel compelled to correct some of the misconceptions stated in this video. We DON'T mate with cave trolls on frigid winter nights. Mating occurs during the summer since cave trolls spend most of the winter in caves hibernating or posting on Reddit, hence their name. We've had electricity for a while. It's indoor plumbing that's a more recent technological update for us. I've heard some people have even switched from LL Bean catalogs to toilet paper! It's been years (like two, two and a half maybe) since we switched from human bones to build our houses to a composite of human bones and recycled plastics to be more environmentally-friendly. It is true that we have less Dunkin Donuts than the South (anyplace beyond Kittery), but we still have some Tim Hortons that survived the great Coffee Bean War (not to be confused with the Pork and Beans War).

[@ValensBellator]

I’ve always felt it’s almost guaranteed that Vikings traveled along the coast further south of Newfoundland, as it’s hard to imagine they’d never explore further beyond where they settled. That doesn’t mean they were settling there or going beyond New England, though. It’s probable that any artifacts were just passed along and traded. Much like with the Polynesians with South America, I just always find it far more likely than not that a seafaring civilization of explorers made it much farther than we have evidence for. Typically, with time, new findings bare this out.

[@joekane1844]

Hey don’t know if you remember but I was one of the crewmen on the Polaris Viking longboat, good to find your videos again!

[@bradhorowitz2765]

Just coming off watching Jon Bois’s Vikings series…because of that I choose to believe stories that Vikings DID explore Anerica! Great video also!

[@aminorerror]

This is a format we need MUCH more of

[@jesseberg3271]

I am not a historian, a numa-whatchemacallit, or anything else of the sort, but don't small, lightweight objects just occasionally get tossed on shore from far away? I heard that when Europeans first got to some of the Pacific islands that had been isolated for a long time, they found that the locals already knew about steel nails because planks from shipwrecks had washed up on their shores. Would it really be that strange for a small lightweight coin to wash up on shore somewhere, given how many of them have been lost at sea? There's probably a good explanation for why I'm wrong, but does anyone know what it is?

[@jgagnier]

I want Atun-Shei dancing GIFs as a Leif Erickson Day present.

[@stormerkromy988]

*is literally suffering from what he's drinking* *Continues drinking the same stuff*

[@Albionic_]

that's vodka for you

[@saviordd1]

Thanks!

[@aaronstreitenberger6012]

It's entirely possible the hole in the coin was so it could be used for fishing. Shine it up a bit and it'd be a decent lure, especially near a bone hook. I hear fish live near the beach.

[@LesHaskell]

This video sounds just like some of the conversations I've had sitting around the campfire at night while reenacting! I didn't realize you were such a historian.

[@Crylar44]

Now I want a t-shirt that say "my ancestors were fur traders / sex workers", I can only assume going back long enough it's bound to be true.

[@DSesignD]

Atun-shei vid on vikings? That's a yes. Atun-shei dancing to Skyrim soundtrack at the end? Priceless.