Hans Egede's account of Greenland is both missionary testimony and early Arctic natural history, shaped by twenty-five years among the people he sought to convert. Written with learned footnotes, historical disputes, eyewitness reports, and illustrations, it surveys the country's geography, climate, wildlife, trade, language, customs, and beliefs, while also tracing the author's life and the history of the land. The result is a vivid portrait of Greenland as a stark frontier where hardship, resourcefulness, and human possibility coexist. Across its pages, the book describes the extreme conditions of the north, from the diet of seals, sea life, berries, and even seal entrails to the birds, insects, and missing pests that mark this unusual environment. It details Greenlanders' ingenious hunting and fishing practices, their tools, weapons, waterproof clothing, and communal whale hunts. At the same time, it records legends of mer-people, sea monsters, reindeer abundance, and birds said to arise from driftwood, blending observation, folklore, and skeptical commentary. The work closes with a fervent call for Christian education and conversion, especially for children, and for spiritual redemption through Christ. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.

À propos de l'auteur

Egede, Hans

Hans Egede was a Danish-Norwegian missionary, explorer, and writer born in 1686, whose life was shaped by the religious zeal and imperial ambitions of the early eighteenth century. After training for the clergy, he became determined to travel to Greenland, where he spent years living among Inuit communities and recording his observations of the land, climate, and people. His writings are among the earliest substantial European accounts of Greenland and reflect both the curiosity and the limitations of his era: he sought to understand a remote Arctic world while also promoting Christian conversion and colonial settlement. Egede’s most important literary achievement lies in his descriptive and documentary prose, which helped introduce Greenland to European readers and influenced later exploration, missionary activity, and colonial policy. His work is marked by themes of encounter, survival, faith, cultural difference, and the harsh realities of Arctic life, themes that still resonate today in conversations about cross-cultural contact, environmental extremes, and the legacy of European expansion. Though his perspective is undeniably shaped by colonial assumptions, his observations remain historically significant as a window into early modern ideas about the Arctic and its peoples. Today, Hans Egede matters to readers interested in exploration narratives, missionary history, Arctic studies, and the complicated meeting point of curiosity, conviction, and empire, especially those who want to understand how early travel writing helped shape Europe’s view of the wider world.