Chapter 19. The Journey from Gotland [October 1, 1347]
Cultural Explanations
 |
Chapter 19. The Journey from Gotland [October 1, 1347] Cultural Explanations |
|
|
In this chapter Bávlos talks with the captain of the sloop as they head toward Reval. | ||
| Sloop in its way toward Reval |
In this chapter, Bávlos learns about the legendary history of Gotland. Although it is easy to think of Gotland today as simply a small island to the east of the Swedish mainland, it has its own history, identity, and local traditions. Always an important center of trade, Gotland attracted its share of narrative traditions, many of which were written down in the thirteenth century in a text we called Gutasaga. The events described in this chapter—the tale of Gotland's daily sinking, the account of its Christianization, and the banishment of a third of the population due to overpopulation—all occur in that text.
The island where the Gotlandic exiles were said to have settled before moving on to Russia was called Dagö in Swedish. In modern Estonian, it is the island of Hiiumaa.
