Terra incognita et frigida : l’(in)habitabilité du Grand Nord à la Renaissance

Abstract

During the Renaissance, representations of the Nordic northernmost territories were still largely based on ancient geographical classifications, especially on the theory of the five terrestrial zones. It postulated that three of them, the torrid zone and the northern and southern frigid zones, were uninhabitable for humans. While the habitability of the torrid zone was confirmed as early as the mid-15th century, the one of the poles remained uncertain for a long time. As the refutation of the ancient opinion on the torrid zone becomes commonplace in the texts that rely on modern experience, the verdict on the habitability of the poles is less clear. This article analyses the views of three 16th-century authors – Olaus Magnus, Andre Thevet and Jean Bodin – on this question and their considerations about the settlement of the Far North in comparison with that of the torrid zone.