Hafr was a Norse settlement on mainland Newfoundland (Vinland) which was founded in circa 870 AD by Viking explorers from the outlying island settlement of Borgarholt. The Vikings founded Hafr as a military base, building a dock to establish a line of reinforcement from Borgarholt, building several houses for their soldiers, erecting a temple in honor of Odin, building a barracks to train additional warriors, building a market to establish trade, building an armory to store their weapons, and building a hillfort to protect their base. Upon the discovery of an abandoned settlement to the south, the Vikings proceeded to build a town center and found Kopanes, which was dangerously close to a rival Norse base at Asolfsskali. Following the Battle of Asolfsskali, the settlers of Hafr were forced to abandon their settlement, and the early Norse colonies on Vinland were lost to history.
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