Why did the Vikings swing out to the Azores (h/t turtle)? In those Sargasso days, they weren't aiming at the New World. They had no way of knowing that the Vinland wasn't just another Greenland, ending to the south.
Here's a possibility: they were there for Madeira and the Canaries... for African (Berber!) slaves. More likely for Christians ripped off the coasts of Galicia, Asturias, and Leon. The Vikings were impressive slave-traders. Almost as enthusiastic as the Sephardim.
The linked article allows that the thraell was, applied to fellow Norse, an indenture like the Hebrew 'abd; that's likely how it started. But then the Vikings got themselves hooked into the Islamic / Sephardic networks. And then they brought some slaves home.
A good project for Madeira, Canaries, and Azores archaeologists might be to scout about their islands for trace of a prehispanic holding-pen. The Muslims didn't know of any out there - they didn't need 'em, having plenty at home in Andalusia and Morocco. But the Vikings needed a base. An island as remote as the Flores would be perfect.
PROGRESS 10/7/21: Pico and Corvo.
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