Leif Erikson
Leifur Eiríksson (old Icelandic: Leifr Eiríksson) was an Icelandic explorer who was the first European to discover North America - more specifically, the region that would become Newfoundland and, by later extension, Canada. It is believed that Leifur was born around 980 and was the second son of Eric the Red (Eiríkur Rauði), a Norwegian outlaw, who was the son of another Norwegian outlaw, Þorvaldur Ásvaldsson. His mother was Þjoðhildur. His father had started two Norse colonies, the Western Settlement and the Eastern Settlement, in Greenland, which he had named.
During a stay in Norway, Leifur was converted to Christianity (like many Norse around that time). He also went to Norway to serve King Olaf Tryggvason. When he returned to Greenland, he bought the boat of Bjarni Herjólfsson and set out to explore the land that Bjarni had found which today we know as North America.
One of the sagas, The saga of the Greenlanders, tells that Leifur set out about 1000 to follow Bjarni's route in the opposite direction. The first land he met was covered with flat rock slabs (Old Norse: hellr). He therefore called it Helluland (land of the flat stones), which is probably the present day Baffin Island. Next he came to a land that was flat and wooded, with white sandy beaches, which he called Markland (woodland), which is assumed to have been Labrador. When they found land again, Leifur and his men landed and built some houses. They found the land pleasant: there were plenty of salmon in the river and the climate was mild, with little frost in the winter and green grass year-round. They remained at the place over the winter. The sagas mention that one of Leifur's men, Tyrkir, a German warrior, found grapes. (not necessarily grapes though, as "vin" could refer to any berry which could be made into wine.) Leifur named the country Vínland after it. Although we don't know the exact location of Vínland, it is believed to be anywhere from Newfoundland to Virginia. On the return voyage, Leifur rescued an Icelandic castaway named Þórir and his crew which earned him the nickname 'Leifur the Lucky' (Old Norse "Leifr hinn heppni").
There is discussion as to the location of Leifur's Vínland. Many believe that the Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows was Leifur's colony, but others argue that it must have been further south, since grapes do not grow as far north as Newfoundland (though they may have during the Medieval Warm Period).
Another saga, The Saga of Eric the Red, tells that it was actually Leifur who discovered the American mainland while returning from Norway to Greenland in 1000 or thereabouts, but the saga does not state an attempt of his to settle there. However, the saga of the Greenlanders is nowadays considered to be the more reliable of the two.
As far as it is known, Leifur Eiríksson had two brothers, Þorvald and Þorsteinn, and one sister, Freydís. He married Þórgunnur and had one son, Þorkell Leifsson.
In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson declared October 9 Leif Erikson Day in the United States.
The Leif Ericson is also a fictional submarine in the Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson, named for the above explorer. It is owned and captained by Hagbard Celine who, himself, is named for viking legend Hagbard.
External links
- A reconstructed portrait of Leif Ericsson, based on historical sources, in a contemporary style.
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online