It connected Greenland to a valuable international commodity, but it also tied the colony to a resource that could be difficult to obtain and transport.

The farther north hunters traveled, the more time and energy each expedition required.

Sea ice could change routes.

Weather could delay a return.

A successful hunt still had to be followed by a successful voyage to the market.

The economic chain had several points at which failure could occur.

The Hvalsey record is haunting because it contains no dramatic final sentence.

The wedding tells us that at least some Greenlanders were still connected to social and religious life in 1408.