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Leif Erikson - Explorer (c970 -
c1020) |
Leif Erikson was a Viking explorer who is widely
believed to have been the first European to
arrive in the New World. He arrived c1000 and
established the first settlement at a place
he named ‘Vinland’. Believed to be born in Iceland,
he was the son of Erik the Red who had discovered
Greenland and built the first settlement there.
This page details facts about Leif Erikson's
life and the events that shaped his history.
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Leif Erikson the Explorer -
Fun Facts for Kids ! |
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Leif Erikson Fact
1: |
The accounts of Leif Erikson have been
passed down as legends and stories through the Viking Sagas.
It is, therefore, impossible to confirm total accuracy. |
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Leif Erikson Fact
2: |
He was believed to have been born c970
in Iceland. He was one of three sons born to Erik the Red
and his wife Thjodhild. |
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Leif Erikson Fact
3: |
Leif Erikson was descended from a family
of Vikings explorers. His grandfather, Thorvaldr Asvaldsson,
had been banished from Norway and discovered Iceland. His
father was banished from Iceland and discovered Greenland,
where he established the first settlement. |
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Leif Erikson Fact
4: |
Leif Erikson had a partner, Thorgunna,
a noblewoman of the Hebrides. He also had two sons, Thorkell
and Thorgils. |
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Leif Erikson Fact
5: |
He made his way from Greenland to Norway
c999. While there he worked for King Olaf I and was converted
to Christianity. He was tasked with converting the settlers
on Greenland to Christianity, and headed back there c1000. |
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Leif Erikson Fact
6: |
The main two Viking sagas, Saga of Erik
the Red and Saga of the Greenlanders, hold different versions
of his voyage to Vinland. The Saga of Erik the red tells
how he was driven off course by the wind and found Vinland.
The Saga of the Greenlanders tells how he learned of a land
to the west of Greenland from an Icelandic merchant, Bjarni
Herjolfsson, who had seen it when he was blown of course. |
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Leif Erikson Fact
7: |
When Leif Erikson landed in the
new World he named the places according to the landscapes
he had witnessed. He named the first area ‘Helluland’
(Flat Rock Land), the second ‘Markland’ (Forest
Land) and the third area ‘Vinland’ (Wine Land).
The areas are believed to correspond to modern day
Baffin Island, Labrador and Newfoundland. |
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Leif Erikson Fact
8: |
Leif Erikson found Vinland to have an
abundance of grapes with fertile land. He established a
small settlement, and stayed there for the winter to explore
the area.
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Picture
of Christopher Columbus
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Leif Erikson Fact
9: |
The following spring, he headed back
to Greenland with stocks of grapes and timber. On his return
he preached Christianity and his mother was converted. She
built the first church at Brattahild on Erik the Red’s estate. |
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Leif Erikson Fact
10: |
Leif Erikson is believed
to have died in Greenland c1020. His son, Thorkell succeeded
him as Chieftain. |
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Leif Erikson Fact
11: |
His successful journey
to America led to other visits for timber and eventually
trade. It is believed that the first contact made with
the local tribes was made by Leif’s brother Thorvald. | | | |
Leif Erikson Fact 12: |
Norwegian Archaeologist Anne Stine
Ingstad discovered the remains of a Viking style settlement
at L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland.
The evidence gleaned from the excavation demonstrated
that Leif Erikson had visited America 500 years earlier
than
Christopher
Columbus. | | | |
Leif Erikson Fact
13: |
Archaeology also indicates that ‘Vinland’
could have been the region around the Gulf of St. Lawrence. |
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Leif Erikson Fact 14: |
In the United States of America,
October 9 is celebrated as Leif Erikson Day. |
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Leif Erikson Fact 15: |
On October
8, 2019, President
Donald Trump issued the following proclamation,
which was published in the Federal
Register on October 11, 2019. |
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Proclamation:
Now,
Therefore, I, Donald J. Trump, President
of the United States of America, by
virtue of the authority vested in me by
the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim
October 9, 2019, as Leif Erikson Day. I
call upon all Americans to celebrate the
achievements and contributions of Nordic
Americans to our Nation with appropriate
ceremonies, activities, and programs.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set
my hand this eighth day of October, in
the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of
the United States of America the two
hundred and forty-fourth.
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Leif Erikson the Explorer
(c970 - c1020) Fun Facts Info for Kids ! |
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