This article deals with different high medieval perspectives on European geography as perceived by Scandinavians and central Europeans. The classical, erudite European tradition is represented by the Franciscan encyclopedist Bartholomew Anglicus (c. 1190-1250), whose geographical lore is contrasted to the Nordic worldview of the Norwegian King's Mirror from the middle of the 13^th century. The central European tradition is almost exclusively characterized by reverence for ancient tradition, whereas the Norse approach is based on a blend of learning and vivid empiricism. There are practically no correspondences between Bartholomew's reproduction of obsolete information and the empiricism and spontaneity of the Norwegian observer. However, both share a basic acceptance of the Ptolemaic system.

The King's Mirror is composed as a classical dialogue between a master and a pupil - here a father and his son. The father dwells at length on the merchant's trade and includes a wealth of current information on the Northern Seas. Among other things he passes on his knowledge of Greenland and Iceland, the fauna of the North Atlantic and its mirabilia. Of special interest to the modern reader are his attempts at explaining the spherical form of the Earth and the Aurora Borealis. He repeatedly advocates personal experience as opposed to uncritical compilation.