Episode 3
The quest for traces of the voyages of two 14th century merchants leads to Iceland, where an old man steeped in the Norse sagas brings the past vividly to life. Read by Sam Dale.
By Andrea di Robilant.
Read by Sam Dale.
In the fourteenth century, so the story goes, two merchant brothers set out from Venice on a journey through the rough seas of the North Atlantic, encountering warrior princes, fighting savage natives and, just possibly, reaching the New World a full century before Columbus.
Their adventures - printed as a small book and beautifully detailed map in 1558 by an enthusiastic ancestor - were celebrated throughout Europe until, in 1835, the story was denounced as a 'tissue of lies' and the Zens faded into oblivion.
Intrigued by the myth, the writer Andrea di Robilant set out on a personal journey to see what traces remain of these fabled voyages. In this episode, the author arrives in Iceland and visits the ruins of a monastery believed to be mentioned in the Zen text. While there he chances upon an old farmer whose encyclopaedic knowledge of the Icelandic sagas brings the distant past vividly to life.
Abridged by Laurence Wareing.
Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.
Last on
Broadcasts
- Wed 30 Mar 2011 09:45麻豆社 Radio 4
- Thu 31 Mar 2011 00:30麻豆社 Radio 4
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