Josh Gates traces the Vikings' legendary westward expansion across the North Atlantic, starting in their Danish homeland before journeying to Iceland, Greenland, and ultimately North America. The central mystery: did Norse seafarers reach what is now the United States more than 500 years before Columbus? In Denmark, Gates works with archaeologists excavating a Viking king's fortress, revealing sophisticated military engineering and craftsmanship that transcended their reputation as mere raiders. He tests Viking combat techniques at a festival and sails a replica longship to understand their maritime mastery. The expedition then pushes west to Iceland, where Gates meets archaeologists Kevin Smith and Gudmundur Olafsson at a remote cave site, navigating volcanic terrain that the first Viking settlers encountered in 874 CE—a landscape so apocalyptic it may have reinforced their mythology of Ragnarok.
Mainstream archaeology confirms that Vikings established settlements in Iceland by 874 CE and reached Greenland and the Canadian site of L'Anse aux Meadows around 1000 CE, making them the first Europeans in North America. The episode's compelling angle is Gates' ground-level investigation of how Viking culture—their ship technology, military organization, trading networks, and even their mythology shaped by volcanic eruptions—enabled these astonishing voyages. The discovery of bones at what appears to be a structural site and the team's dangerous journey through Iceland's lava fields and icy waters provide visceral proof of the extreme conditions Vikings navigated, making their accomplishments all the more remarkable.
Boston, Massachusetts
United States · historical
Gates returns to his hometown of Boston to investigate the Norse Revival movement of the late 19th century, examining landmarks erected by Viking enthusiasts and assessing the evidence for Viking presence in New England.
Fall River, Massachusetts
United States · historical
Gates examines a plaque marking the 1831 discovery of a skeleton in armor, which some historians claimed was a Viking, but which cannot be confirmed or dismissed since the remains and armor were lost in a fire.
Greenland Viking Settlement
Greenland · archaeological
Josh investigates a mysterious Viking settlement in Greenland as part of tracing their route to North America.
Iceland
Iceland · historical
Josh continues his Viking investigation in Iceland, the first place the Norse expanded off the European continent, searching for answers about their rise to power.
Leif Erikson Statue, Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
United States · historical
Gates examines the 1887 statue of Leif Erikson on Commonwealth Avenue, erected during the Norse Revival period as part of a broader effort by New England Protestants to claim a Viking origin story for American settlement.
Leif Erikson Statue, Greenland
Greenland · historical
Gates visits a hilltop statue of Leif Erikson in southern Greenland, marking the believed departure point from which Erikson sailed southwest to the land known as Vinland around 1000 AD.
Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
United States · historical
Gates travels to Martha's Vineyard as a staging point to investigate a potential Viking runic stone on the nearby island of Nomans Land, meeting stonemason brothers Jim and Bill Vieira who claim the stone could prove Viking landings in the United States.
Narsarsuaq
Greenland · historical
Gates arrives at this small Greenlandic town as his base of operations to investigate the mystery of the vanished Norse settlers who once thrived in Greenland before disappearing in the 1400s.
Newport Tower, Newport, Rhode Island
United States · historical
Gates visits the Newport Tower, which some have claimed is a Viking structure, but which is actually identified as a stone windmill built in the 1600s, disproving the Viking origin theory.
Nomans Land Island, Massachusetts
United States · archaeological
Gates dives with the Vieira brothers in the waters off this uninhabited island wildlife refuge to search for a submerged runic stone photographed in the 1920s bearing what appears to be an inscription reading 'Leif Erikson' and the date 1001 in Roman numerals.
Norumbega Tower, Weston, Massachusetts
United States · historical
Gates visits the 1889 Norumbega Tower, which bears a plaque claiming the site was a Viking fort connected to Leif Erikson and Vinland, but notes there is no archaeological evidence to support this claim.
Surtr Cave (Cave of Surt)
Iceland · archaeological
Gates explores a Viking-age lava tube cave associated with the Norse fire demon Surtr, examining a massive man-made stone wall and approximately 750,000 animal bone fragments believed to be ritual offerings.
“We make like Jon Snow”