By the early 800s, as empty lands beckoned, Norse seafaring farmers set forth. The population was booming, with little room left to spread out. Taxes and tithes prodded the restless, while enticing reports told of islands inhabited only by Irish monks. The warmer temperatures made the North Atlantic islands especially attractive. In the Faeroes, Iceland, and Greenland, the Norse could support their livestock and their way of life. All they needed was a supply line to iron, timber, and European markets.