History professor says the Vikings never came to Newfoundland

“Well, people came to Newfoundland, but I always use the word Norse,” said Janzen, a history professor at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland, on Wednesday morning. 

Janzen knows it may be a hopeless cause, but he’d like to see more people in western Newfoundland trying to capitalize on historical tourism and to be a little more informed when visitors come.

“The visitors that come to Newfoundland often know a lot and if we keep calling these people who came to L’Anse aux Meadows Vikings, I think we’re revealing that we know less than we should.”

Later Wednesday evening Janzen spoke more of those first European visitors to Newfoundland in a presentation at the Corner Brook Museum and Archives titled “The Vikings Never Came to Newfoundland — Really!” 

Janzen said the talk was intended to try and make the distinction between who the Vikings were back then and who the Norse were...