Hvalsey

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The church ruin of Hvalsey

Hvalsey (Greenlandic Qaqortukukooq) is a location near Qaqortoq, Greenland and the site of a number of Greenland's best-preserved Norse ruins in what was known by the Norse as the Eastern Settlement. It is the site of the largest and best-preserved ruins from the Norse period, Hvalseyjarkirkja.

The farm was established by Erik the Red's uncle, Þorkell Farserkur, who, it is said, still roams around the farm, according to the Icelandic Book of Settlements - Landnáma.

The farm's original name was "at Thjodhildarstead," and in the 14th Century belonged to the King of Norway, as noted here: “Næst Einarsfirði liggr Hvalseyjarfjörðr. Þar er kirkja, sem heitir Hvalseyjarfjarðarkirkja. Hún á allan fjörðinn ok svá allan Kambstaðafjörð, sem er næstr. Í þessum firði stendur bær mikill, sem konungi tilheyrir og heitir Þjóðhildarstaðir.” This may explain who built the church and why.^[1]

A wedding in 1408, between Sigríður Björnsdóttir and Þorsteinn Ólafsson, both from Iceland, is the last documented event from the days of the Norse. The newlyweds returned to Iceland in 1410 and settled at her family's farm at Akrar, north Iceland.

The settlement in Greenland probably died out in the next 50-60 years, some 500 years after Erik the Red moved there from west Iceland.

The farm itself was a major farm in South Greenland, with some 14 house ruins close by the church. The church itself is most likely from the early 14th Century, possibly built by Norwegian/Scottish stone builders. An identical church is found in Norway and the Orkneys of Britain.

The church is exceptionally well built, with carefully chosen stones, some over 5 tonne in weight. The church's outer measurements are 16 x 8 m, the walls are some 1.5 m thick and the gables between 5-6 m high and probably were about 2 m higher when new. The long walls are 4 m high and would also have been higher. It most likely was plastered with ground mussel shells, and so would have been white when in use, and probably with a timber/turf roof.

Two great halls are part of the farm ruins, the so-called old hall is in the middle of the ruins, some 14 m x 3-4 m wide. The newer hall was also built of stone and well preserved, 8 x 5 m. More information on the Norse period in the Icelandic Eiriks saga and Greenlanders saga.