The Orcadian Features - Article demolishes legends surrounding Orkney Earl's voyage to the New World

Article demolishes legends surrounding Orkney Earl's voyage to the New World
(From The Orcadian dated April 18, 2002)

“Henry Sinclair, an earl of Orkney of the late fifteenth century, didn’t go to America.”

So begins Brian Smith’s article in Volume Two of the New Orkney Antiquarian Journal. And for anyone interested in Orcadian history this definitive investigation into the legend has been a long time coming – conclusively proving that the alleged 1398 Atlantic crossing by Henry Sinclair is nothing more than creative fiction and interpretation.

The body of mythology that has built up over the relatively unremarkable figure of Henry Sinclair has grown considerably in recent years – but perhaps more disturbing is the fact that these myths are now presented as documented history by a number of individuals, organisations and even schools world-wide.

Brian Smith’s demolition of the pseudo-history surrounding “Prince” Henry Sinclair is a welcome balance to the spate of recent books, articles and websites on the subject of an Orkney Earl’s supposed trans-Atlantic journey and exploits in the New World.

As Smith succinctly states: “The story is modern myth, based on careless reading, wishful thinking and sometimes distortion, and during the past five years or so it has taken on new outrageous forms.”

A solitary 16th century book and map lie at the root of this “modern myth.” Published in Venice in 1558, the Zeno Narrative is thought to have been compiled by one Nicolo Zeno in honour of his ancestors, the navigators Nicolo and Antonio Zeno.

The document details a journey made by Nicolo Zeno in 1380, during which he is shipwrecked on the large island of “Frislanda.”

Here we are introduced to the elusive “Prince” referred to as Zichmni, “a great lord” of “Porlanda”. Nicolo Zeno enters the service of Zichmni, joined by his brother Antonio, and before long they are waging wars and roaming around a mish-mash of fictitious and genuine locations in the North Atlantic.

Eventually we learn how Zichmni hears of a voyage to the unknown lands of “Estotilanda” and “Drogeo” in the far west. He sets sail for these western lands, but as far as the Zeno Narrative is concerned never reaches them. Instead he lands on Greenland (or “Engrouelanda” as the Narrative puts it), where he builds a settlement and sets about exploring the Greenland coast.

And that is that – No Sinclair. No America. And strangely enough, no Orkney.

As Brian Smith states: “If the Zeno map is the work of Venetian navigators who lived with the earl of Orkney for four and 14 years respectively, they don’t seem to have paid much attention to their surroundings.”

After outlining the events portrayed in the Zeno Narrative, Smith goes on to clearly document the development of the legend, and how Henry Sinclair’s name became attached to it – from John Rheinhold Forster’s 1780 interpretation of the Narrative (which failed to impress and the story almost died there), through to the 20th century writings of Frederick Pohl and Andrew Sinclair’s dubious claims regarding the Kirkwall Teaching Scroll.

The glaring inconsistencies in 222 years worth of attempts to crowbar Henry Sinclair into the role of Zichmni (and transform the Zeno Narrative into an account of a trans-Atlantic voyage) are highlighted by Smith, surely leaving any reader wondering just how these accounts could have been seized so voraciously and unquestionably adopted as true history by so many.

A full translation of the Zeno Narrative follows Smith’s article so the readers can see for themselves the original, unadorned account.

Unfortunately, space now forbids me from going into detail on the other contributions, suffice to say that William Thomson’s investigation into South Ronaldsay’s Ladykirk Stone is a valuable contribution to the islands’ history and folklore.

The volume’s other contributions include The Leper of Newark (Deerness) by Theya Molleson; The Wallace Chair by Bernard Cotton; A Scandinavian Stave Calendar (now in Skaill House) by H. F. Morland Simpson; List of Articles collected by Walter Traill Dennison by Walter Traill Dennison; Sheriff Court by Phil Astley and a round-up of recent books and papers by William Thomson.

Sigurd Towrie