Learnings: The Navigator

An excerpt of the "Old English Orosius", mentioning the name of Ohthere of Hålogaland / 11th cent.

The Old Norse term for the Navigator was leiðsögumaðr. He was the guide; that is a man (maðr) gifted with great knowledge of the route (leiðsaga). The leiðsögumaðr knew which path (leið) was the fastest or least risky.

Ohthere of Hålogaland, a Norse seafarer, is a prominent example of a Navigator. He recounted many of his trips to King Alfred of Wessex (circa 890 CE), providing the Christian world with a more comprehensive knowledge of the "North" and its people.

Here is an excerpt of the "Old English Orosius", chronicling the beginning of Ohtere of Hålogaland's journey in the North.