Have you ever wonder why Iceland is green and Greenland is icy?

One could quickly feel wonder how things get their names. Some of the names make a lot of sense, whereas some make less sense. Such is an example of Iceland and Greenland. It is also surprising for one to know about the fact that Iceland is quite green, whereas Greenland is quite icy.

Have you ever wonder why Iceland is green and Greenland is icy?

One could quickly feel wonder how things get their names. Some of the names make a lot of sense, whereas some make less sense. Such is an example of Iceland and Greenland. It is also surprising for one to know about the fact that Iceland is quite green, whereas Greenland is quite icy.

The Vikings have given names to both of the places. In general, they name the things as they see them.

In 850 CE, Naddador was the very first Viking to step on Iceland. It was snowing when he reached there, so he named it “Snow Land.” After that, Floki Vilgerarson was the one to step on the land. While reaching there, he lost his daughter on the way. After a short time, after reaching the island, all of his animals died. Sad and unsure about what to do next, Viking climbed a mountain to think. He saw a bay full of icebergs while sitting at the top, making him rename the island as “Iceland.”

The icebergs that he has witnessed weren’t commonly seen in Iceland. Today, many people believe that they probably floated over from Greenland. Today, many people believe that they might have floated over from Greenland. Later, Iceland was home to many of the Vikings. Erik the Red was one of the people who resided there. Following a bloody war, they expelled Erik the Red from Iceland, and he left the island and started sailing towards the west.

In 985 CE, Erik the Red stepped on the southwest of Greenland- one of the very few regions that were not covered with the ice. The area still holds many farms today. After watching all the green plants, Erik named the island as “Greenland.” The idea behind this name was to attract more people to come and reside on the land.

With time, Greenland witnesses small settlements of people. In the year 1257 CE, a volcano erupted in Indonesia that has blown little ice age on the region. It made the temperature cool in both Greenland and Iceland.

The change was much seen in Greenland than in Iceland. The island started getting colder year by year. The Vikings did their best to adjust to the new climate. The new environment made food crisis in the region. Due to this, no Vikings remained in Greenland. Most of the land was covered with ice.