Why was Greenland called Green? Was it really significantly warmer than now back when the Vikings landed?

Question

Why was Greenland called Green? Was it really significantly warmer than now back when the Vikings landed?

Answer 1

It was supposedly named Greenland to attract more inhabitants.  Iceland has a story that is sort of opposite... Iceland, which is not very icy at all was named Iceland to keep attackers away.

Answer 2

Greenland was actually very Green when first colonized. It wasn't until the 13th or 14th centuries when there was a major climate change did Greenland become inhospitable. Greenland was very prosperous at first with some huge farms with 200+ cattle and large fields, and they supported somewhat opulent stone churches that still remain to this day. It was not a public relations spin. It was really GREEN but it could not support the large colonies during the global cooling period that occurred around the 13th or 14th centuries.

Answer 3

No, Greenland was always barely habitable. It was a public relations spin job. The Vikings wanted people to emigrate and look after the land they had discovered. So they called it Greenland so it would sound nice, because who would have wanted to go to "Rocky very cold place with glaciers land"?

Answer 4

To make it more appealing to the settlers

Answer 5

There is no concensus on this particular question. Some say that it was named 'Greenland' in an attempt to get more people to move there. However, it should be noted that the southern tip of Greenland, which was the first to be settled, is in fact very green in summer, and might have been even more so during the time of the Vikings. Others say that the name is a mispronunciation of 'Gruntland', which would refer to the many bays which are found along its coast. Regardless, it's a beautiful place.

Answer 6

Back in the time when Iceland was being colonized by the people from Norway, Sweden, etc., they did not want a mass of people to settle on the island.  So they called it Iceland, and named Greenland as such in order to steer people away from Iceland and maybe go to live on Greenland!!  I lived in Iceland for a year.

Answer 7

It was the start of marketing.

What is the official language of Greenland?

(Greenlandic- Inuit dialects, and Danish)

# Who first discovered Greenland and why was it named Greenland?

(Eric the Red, it was named Greenland to attract other Norse Settlers, yes the beginnings of marketing!)