Nestled in the wild beauty of Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula, L’Anse aux Meadows is the only authenticated Viking Age Norse settlement in North America.
A short walk away is Norstead, a re-created Viking port of trade. Here, site manager Denecka Burden and her team of historical interpreters bring history to life, teaching visitors about aspects of Norse life during the Viking Age (793-1066 CE), including blacksmithing, pottery, and the spinning, dyeing, and weaving of wool. And it is here at Norstead that we find evidence of a historical marvel that, while practiced by the Vikings, predates them by thousands of years: the ancient art of nålbinding.


Norstead, L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland
Photo credit: “TV-009-0519” by Carrotflower Productions International is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Correction: Incorrect captions appeared for the first few hours this piece was published. Correct captions with proper photo credits have since been applied. We apologize for the confusion, and we apologize to the author, who is not responsible for this editorial mistake.