Uralic Tribes in Iceland?

I've read that Dracula, in the novel Dracula, claims the Transylvanian Magyar's are descended from Huns and a Ugric tribe from Iceland! That is, of course, utter bunk, but what affects would there be to say, some Saami tribe settling in Iceland? Or would they even bother?
 
For them to migrate that far, I think they'd have to be driven by force, fleeing from some hostile people, and desperate to get to some place so remote that they could be sure they'd be left alone.
 
How would they get there? The Norse got to Iceland in some of the best ships that existed in the world at that time.

True there were a few Irish monks that presumably made it from Ireland in currachs (sp?), but a) I don't believe they took livestock with them b) they were trying to flee civilization c) I don't suppose they cared quite as much if they died on their 'holy mission', d) AFAIK Iceland is a lot harder to get to from Lappland than from Ireland (where you can stop at the Faroes on the way).

I think it'd be REALLY hard.
 
The only semi plausable way I can think of is in relativly modern times with some scandinavian king deciding to relocate them there (perhaps after a failed rebellion or allying with a foreign king or somesuch). Thats quite far out though.
 
How would they get there? The Norse got to Iceland in some of the best ships that existed in the world at that time.

And, of course, these pesky barbarian subhumans would never learn...
Actually, Estonian and Livonian pirates used pretty the same hardware and navigation techniques as Vikings did, and with same results - re: Sigtuna, 1187, the best-known example, but not the only one. They were just not very successful pirates: less organized.
_And_ they had to get through the Danish Straights before they could island-hop to Iceland. Still, stranger things happened.
 
How so? Sami are uralic and their historical range is as closer as Iceland as you can be without leaving the European continent.

The only thing you need is some of them to develop a maritime-oriented lifestile like that of Inuits, and then I suppose they could reach Iceland in ancient times by sailing off retreating glaciers (how ancient is Sami presence in Scandinavia, by the way?).

Considering snow foxes reached Iceland walking over the ice, getting to it in a pseudo-kayak wouldn't be too difficult.
 
How so? Sami are uralic and their historical range is as closer as Iceland as you can be without leaving the European continent.

The only thing you need is some of them to develop a maritime-oriented lifestile like that of Inuits, and then I suppose they could reach Iceland in ancient times by sailing off retreating glaciers (how ancient is Sami presence in Scandinavia, by the way?).

Considering snow foxes reached Iceland walking over the ice, getting to it in a pseudo-kayak wouldn't be too difficult.

This made me think: what about Inuit Iceland? In a world where the Vikings never went there, would the Thule people have made it to Iceland eventually? To Europe? :eek:
 

Deleted member 5719

This made me think: what about Inuit Iceland? In a world where the Vikings never went there, would the Thule people have made it to Iceland eventually? To Europe? :eek:

There are reports of "finnmen" turning up in Scotland, paddling skin canoes in the 18th/19th centuries. It's been suggested they were Inuit.

Inuit culture was adapted to high latitudes, I doubt Iceland would be that much useto them. Spitzbergen might be. Especially given the fact that the Norse arrived in Greenland before the Inuit, and therefore they would find Iceland inhabited by the time they got there.
 

Deleted member 5719

I'm pretty sure the Norse met Inuits in Greenland. And there's plenty of fishing and resources for the Inuits to use in Iceland. The Inuits wouldn't be helpless there, just because they'd been living in places a little bit colder... :rolleyes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Iceland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Greenland#Geography_and_climate

http://www.southtravels.com/america/greenland/weather.html

The Norse were in Greenland first, and dominated the more temperate coastal areas, as their farming lifestyle worked better than the Inuits' hunting and gathering, they could support a much denser settled population. The inuits had more northerly areas, which were unsuitable for farming. But as the climate became colder the Inuit lifestyle became more effective than Norse agriculture, throughout Greenland.

If we recognise that (a). When the Inuit arrive in Iceland (c1500? couldn't be any earlier really) there is a densely populated agricultural settlement there. (b). Iceland is warmer than Greenland, meaning the agricultural lifestyle is much more effective than their hunter gatherer system, then it becomes obvious that Inuit Iceland depends on ASB, or removing all European colonisation of the North Atalantic prior to 1500.
 
I'm pretty sure the Norse met Inuits in Greenland. And there's plenty of fishing and resources for the Inuits to use in Iceland. The Inuits wouldn't be helpless there, just because they'd been living in places a little bit colder... :rolleyes:
Inuit is already plural (singular is Inuk). "Inuits" is like "Englishmens" (well or Basutos, but we won't go there)
 

Deleted member 5719

Sorry, thanks.
The Inuit could still do fishing in Iceland.

True, but the Inuit culture relied a great deal on pack-ice to provide sustenance. Spear-fishing from a canoe in the north Atlantic winter is much more dangerous than sitting by a hole in the ice and waiting for a seal to stick it's head out.

Also, what would the icelanders say "Welcome small group of strange-looking people, please share our fishing grounds"?
 
The Norse were in Greenland first

Actually, the Norse were in southern Greenland before the Inuit, but they weren't the first people to settle there. There was a Paleo-Eskimo culture called the Saqqaq that lasted until about 800 BC. It wouldn't be impossible to have other Paleo-Eskimo cultures enter southern Greenland and perhaps make the hop to Iceland in the time before the Norse were there.
 
True, but the Inuit culture relied a great deal on pack-ice to provide sustenance. Spear-fishing from a canoe in the north Atlantic winter is much more dangerous than sitting by a hole in the ice and waiting for a seal to stick it's head out.

Also, what would the icelanders say "Welcome small group of strange-looking people, please share our fishing grounds"?

When I first suggested it, you may recall I said "in a world where the Norse didn't get [to Iceland]". If the Norse get there first, the Inuit won't be able to take it over very well.
 

Deleted member 5719

When I first suggested it, you may recall I said "in a world where the Norse didn't get [to Iceland]". If the Norse get there first, the Inuit won't be able to take it over very well.

Still difficult, there were no large mammals on Iceland, fishing is no go in winter, what would they eat?
 
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