A Norwegian explorer, Leif Eriksson was probably the first European to reach the shores of North America. He was one of the Norsemen, bold sea warriors also called Vikings. Early lifeLeif Eriksson was born in Iceland in about AD 980. His name is sometimes spelled Ericson or Erikson. His father, the explorer Erik the Red, started the first European settlement in Greenland. When Leif was about 2 years old Erik took his family to Greenland. Leif grew up in Brattahild, now the village of Kagsiarsuk, on the southwest coast. Leif earned his nickname, Leif the Lucky, when he rescued a shipwrecked party of 15. Discovery of North AmericaThere are two tales of Leif's discovery of North America. Each gives a slightly different account of Leif's life and explorations. Saga of ErikAccording to the Icelandic Eiríks Saga (Saga of Erik), Leif sailed from Greenland to Norway in AD 1000. In Norway he was converted to Christianity by the Norwegian king Olaf I Tryggvason. The following year Leif was asked by Olaf to convert the settlers in Greenland to Christianity. On the return voyage Leif sailed off course. He landed on the North American continent at a region he called Vinland, or Wineland, possibly present-day Nova Scotia. The area may have been named for the wild grapes and fertile land that he found there. When he returned home he converted his mother to Christianity. She built the first church in Greenland. The remains of its foundation and those of other Viking buildings can be seen in Kagsiarsuk. Tale of the GreenlandersThe other account of Leif's life is found in the Groenlendinga Saga (Tale of the Greenlanders). Many people consider this tale more reliable than the Saga of Erik. According to this story, Leif learned of Vinland from the Icelander Bjarni Herjulfsson. Herjulfsson had become the first European to sight mainland North America when his Greenland-bound ship sailed westward off its course in about AD 986. He sailed along the Atlantic coastline of eastern Canada and then returned to Greenland. In about AD 1000 a crew of 35 men led by Eriksson set out to try to find the land sighted by Herjulfsson. Eriksson's expedition came first to an icy, barren land, which they called Helluland, or Flat-Stone Land. Then they sailed southward, where they came across a flat, wooded land, which they named Markland, or Wood Land. Again they set sail southward, and they found a warmer, wooded area that they named Vinland. They built some houses and explored the region before returning to Greenland. Historical records of Leif's journeyHistorians believe that Leif landed somewhere on the northernmost tip of Newfoundland on the Strait of Belle Isle. This theory was confirmed in the 1960s, when a Norwegian expedition found the remains of a Viking settlement there. Two books dating from the early 15th century also confirm the Viking settlement. |