Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1998, Page 146

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HUMAN RESPONSE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
IN NORTH ATLANTIC INSULAR SITUATIONS
effects of different distances from the
motherland Europe cannot be neglected
and in the Greenland case it was a real dis-
advantage.
But, on the other hand, Norse Greenlan-
ders had an opportunity to learn from the
native North Americans whom they met
frequently in Vinland and in north-west
Greenland. However, they did not take that
chance and, as we clearly learn from the ar-
chaeological studies, they were extremely
stubborn to continue with their European
way of life until the termination point.
I think that what might seem for us a
chance for finding some way out of the
dead end, in fact worked in opposite direc-
tion - the presence of Skraelings made the
situation of the Norse more difficult. To un-
derstand it we must turn our attention to the
ideological rather than material aspects of
the Norse presence in Greenland. For ideol-
ogy is an indispensable element for sur-
vival of any human population as a cultur-
ally recognisable group. It is ideology con-
nected to what Pierre Bourdieu (1990:
112ff) called a symbolic capital that deter-
mines the self-identity of any society.
From such a perspective the most impor-
tant was that the Norse Greenlanders were
Christians. There is no place here to discuss
in detail the basic differences between
monotheistic Christianity and polytheistic
pagan beliefs as I did elsewhere (Ur-
banczyk 1997). For the purpose of this pa-
per it is enough to conclude that generally
pagan societies are ideologically very flex-
ible. Their deities are immersed in nature
and their worship is of a very practical
character - the better I respect my God the
more prosperous should be my daily life. It
is a part of a magic mentality characteristic
of people who believe that nature may be
manipulated by some privileged relations
with the transcendental sphere.
Monotheistic religions, at least in their
early stages, did not leave a man any other
choice than following very clear instruc-
tions given in a form of Revealed Truth.
They divided people into those who be-
lieved the Word and all others who were of
some inferior kind. They also taught their
faithful followers that the world had been
given to human beings and that it should
serve their needs. In addition to this, me-
dieval Christianity developed under the in-
fluence of an apocalyptic philosophy which
pointed to human sins as the reason for any
misfortunes. Penance, prayer and following
the Church were the only suggested solu-
tions. Medieval Christianity was also very
much Rome-centred which caused all its
functionaries to look there for advice, ex-
ample and support, sending in return Saint
Peter s Pennies. Pagans were not tolerated
and their only destiny was conversion as an
alternative to extermination which was so
clearly stated by St. Bernard of Clairvaux
(1091-1153).
All this found its extreme expression in
such an extreme outpost of Christianity as
Norse Greenland. Historical tradition re-
corded in writing under the control of Ice-
landic church functionaries shows deepen-
ing aversion towards the pagans. Analysis
of Greenland/Vinland sagas shows clearly
growing distrust and fear of those ugly, ag-
gressive and treacherous Skraelings (Ur-
banczyk unpublished). Such an attitude