Great Ireland or Ireland the Great, also known as White Men's Land (Old Norse Hvítramannaland) is a phantom island believed by many Norsemen to be located near Vinland. According to the Landnámabók, Ari Marsson discovered the island six days' sailing west of Ireland. The inhabitants, presumably Christians, baptized him but would not permit him to leave the island. White Men's Land is also mentioned in The Saga of Eric the Red, where it is related that the inhabitants of Markland speak of it to Thorfinn Karlsefni. In time the inhabitants of this mythical island came to be associated in the Norse mind with the Irish monks called papar who were supposed to have fled Iceland when the Vikings arrived there to settle. Old Norse or Danish tongue is the Germanic language once spoken by the inhabitants of the Nordic countries (for instance during the Viking Age). ... This article or section should be merged with Category:Phantom islands Phantom islands are islands that are believed to exist and appear on maps for a period of time (sometimes centuries), and they are removed after they are proven not to exist (or the general population stops believing that they... Norsemen (the Norse) is the indigenous or ancient name for the people of Scandinavia, including (but not limited to) the Vikings. ... Vinland (pronounced Winland) was the name given to part of North America by the Icelandic Norseman Leif Eiríksson, about year 1000. ... Landnámabók (the book of settlement), is one of the strangest of the works of Icelandic literature. ... The Saga of Eric the Red is a saga about Eric the Red. ... Markland is the name given to an area of unknown location, named by Leif Ericson when visiting North America. ... Thorfinn Karlsefni or Þorfinnur Karlsefni was an Icelandic explorer who led an attempt to settle Vinland circa 1010 A.D. with three ships and 160 settlers. ... The Papar (from Irish pap, father) were, according to early Icelandic sources some Irish monks that inhabited Iceland and left after the arrival of the Vikings. ... The name Viking is a loan from the native Scandinavian term for the Norse seafaring warriors who raided the coasts of Scandinavia, Europe and the British Isles from the late 8th century to the 11th century, the period of European history referred to as the Viking Age. ...