Norse explorer
This is a
Norse
name. The last name is a
patronymic
, not a
family name
; this person is properly referred to by the given name
Erik
.
Erik Thorvaldsson
[a]
(
c.
950
? c.
1003
), known as
Erik the Red
, was a
Norse
explorer
, described in
medieval
and Icelandic
saga
sources as having founded the first European
settlement
in
Greenland
. Erik most likely earned the
epithet
"the Red" due to the
color
of his hair and beard.
[1]
[2]
According to
Icelandic sagas
, Erik was born in the
Jæren
district of
Rogaland
,
Norway
, as the son of
Thorvald Asvaldsson
; to which Thorvald would later be banished from Norway, and would sail west to
Iceland
with Erik and his family.
[3]
During Erik's life in Iceland, he married Þjodhild Jorundsdottir and would have four children, with one of Erik's sons being the well-known Icelandic explorer
Leif Erikson
.
[4]
[5]
Around the year of 982, Erik was exiled from Iceland for three years, during which time he explored Greenland, eventually culminating in his founding of the first successful European settlement on the island. Erik would later die there around 1003
CE
during a winter epidemic.
[6]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Early life
[
edit
]
Erik Thorvaldsson was born in
Rogaland
, Norway in 950 CE, and was the son of Thorvald Asvaldsson (also spelled Osvaldsson).
[3]
Thorvald would later be banished from Norway for committing acts of manslaughter.
[7]
Thorvald would then proceed to sail west from Norway with his family, including a 10-year-old Erik. Thorvald and his family would eventually settle in
Hornstrandir
in northwestern
Iceland
, where Thorvald would eventually die sometime before 970 CE.
[3]
[8]
[9]
Marriage and family
[
edit
]
After his father's death, Erik married Þjodhild Jorundsdottir and moved to Haukadalr (Hawksdale) where he built a farm called
Eiriksstaðir
; Þjodhild was the daughter of Jorundur Ulfsson and Þorbjorg Gilsdottir.
[7]
Medieval Icelandic tradition relates that Erik and his wife Þjodhild had four children: a daughter,
Freydis
, and three sons, the
explorer
Leif Erikson
,
Thorvald
and
Thorstein
.
[4]
Unlike his son Leif and Leif's wife, who became Christians, Erik remained a follower of
Norse paganism
. While Erik's wife took heartily to Christianity, even commissioning Greenland's first church, Erik greatly disliked it and stuck to his Norse gods?which, the sagas relate, led Þjodhild to withhold intercourse from her husband.
[10]
[11]
Exile
[
edit
]
Similar to his father before him, Erik also found himself exiled for a time. The initial confrontation occurred when Erik's
thralls
(slaves) caused a landslide on a neighboring farm belonging to a man named Valthjof, and Valthjof's friend, Eyjolf the Foul,
[b]
killed the thralls. In retaliation, Erik killed Eyjolf as well as Hrfan the Dueller (Holmgang-Hrafn).
[c]
Kinsmen of Eyjolf sought legal prosecution and Erik was later banished from Haukaladr for killing Eyjolf the Foul around the year 982.
[7]
[12]
Erik then moved to Brokey and Oxney (Eyxney) island in Iceland.
[13]
Erik asked a man named Thorgest to keep his
setstokkr
?inherited ornamented pillars of significant mystical value?which his father had brought from Norway.
[14]
When Erik had finished building his new home, he went back retrieve his pillars from Thorgest; however, Thorgest refused to return them to Erik, and so Erik then went to Breidabolstadr and took the pillars back. As a result, Thorgest and his men gave chase, and in the ensuing fight Erik slew both of Thorgest's sons as well as "some other men".
[7]
After this conflict both Erik and Thorgest kept close a large number of allies.
Styr gave assistance to Eirik, as also did Eyjolf, of Sviney, Thorbjorn Vifilsson, and the sons of Thorbrand, of Alptafjordr (Swanfirth). But the sons of Thord Gellir, as also Thorgeir, of Hitardalr (Hotdale), Aslak, of Langadalr (Longdale), and Illugi, his son, gave assistance to Thorgest.
[7]
The dispute between Erik and Thorgest was later resolved at the Thorsnes
Thing
, where Erik and the men that sided with him were outlawed from Iceland for three years; many of these men would then join Erik on his expedition to Greenland.
[7]
Death
[
edit
]
Erik's son
Leif Erikson
became the first Norseman to explore the land of
Vinland
?part of North America, presumably near modern-day
Newfoundland
?and invited his father on the voyage. However, according to the sagas, Erik fell off his horse on the way to the ship and took this as a bad sign, leaving his son to continue without him.
[10]
Erik later died in an epidemic that killed many of the colonists in the winter after his son's departure.
[6]
Discoveries
[
edit
]
It has been a common mistake for popular history to occasionally credit Erik as being the first European to discover Greenland, however, the Icelandic sagas suggest that earlier Norsemen discovered and attempted to settle it before him.
[15]
Tradition credits
Gunnbjorn Ulfsson
(also known as Gunnbjorn Ulf-Krakuson) with the first sighting of the land-mass. Nearly a century before Erik, strong winds had driven Gunnbjorn towards a set of islands between Iceland and Greenland, later named
Gunnbjorn's skerries
in his honor.
[16]
However, the accidental nature of Gunnbjorn's discovery has led to his neglect in the history of Greenland. After Gunnbjorn, roughly eighty years later the outlaw
Snæbjorn galti
had also visited Greenland and attempted to settle there.
[16]
[17]
According to a saga that has now been lost to time, Galti headed the first Norse attempt to colonize Greenland, of which ended in failure for Galti and his party due to the many unforgiving hardships that they faced during the winter on the island.
[16]
As a result of Galti's failed expedition, Erik the Red is widely credited to be first known, and successful, permanent settler of Greenland.
[3]
Greenland
[
edit
]
During his exile, around 982, Erik sailed to a somewhat mysterious and little-known land that
Snæbjorn galti Holmsteinsson
had unsuccessfully attempted to settle a few years before. Erik rounded the southern tip of the island, later known as
Cape Farewell
, and sailed up the western coast. Eventually, Erik reached a part of the coast that, for the most part, seemed ice-free and consequently had conditions?similar to those of Iceland?that promised growth and future prosperity.
[18]
According to the
Saga of Erik the Red
, Erik spent his three years of exile exploring this land. The first winter Erik spent on the island of Eiriksey, the second winter he passed in Eiriksholmar (close to Hvarfsgnipa). In the final summer Erik explored as far north as Snaefell and into Hrafnsfjord.
[3]
[7]
When Erik returned to Iceland after his exile had expired, he is said to have brought with him stories of "Greenland". Erik purposefully gave the land a more appealing name than "Iceland" as "people would be attracted to go there if it had a favorable name", per Erik's own words.
[19]
[20]
Erik knew that the success of any settlement in Greenland would need the support of as many people as possible.
Erik's salesmanship of Greenland proved successful as after spending the winter in Iceland Erik returned to Greenland in the summer of 985 with a large number of colonists. However, out of 25 ships that left for Greenland, 11 were lost at sea; only 14 arrived.
[20]
[21]
The Icelanders established two colonies on the southwest coast: the
Eastern Settlement
or Eystribyggð, in what is now
Qaqortoq
, and the
Western Settlement
, close to present-day
Nuuk
. Eventually, a
Middle Settlement
grew, but many suggest it formed part of the Western Settlement. The Eastern and Western Settlements, both established on the southwest coast, proved the only two areas suitable for farming. During the summers, when the weather was more favorable to travel, each settlement would send an army of men to hunt in
Disko Bay
above the
Arctic Circle
for food and other valuable commodities such as seals (used for rope),
ivory
from
walrus
tusks, and
beached whales
.
[22]
Eastern Settlement
[
edit
]
In the Eastern Settlement, Erik built the
estate
of
Brattahlið
, near present-day
Narsarsuaq
, in what is known today as
Qassiarsuk
.
[23]
Erik held the title of
paramount chieftain
of Greenland and became both greatly respected and wealthy.
The settlement flourished, growing to 5,000 inhabitants spread over a considerable area along
Eriksfjord
and neighboring
fjords
. Groups of
immigrants
escaping overcrowding in Iceland joined the original party. However, one group of immigrants which arrived in 1002 brought with it an
epidemic
that ravaged the colony, killing many of its leading citizens, including Erik himself.
[24]
Nevertheless, the colony rebounded and survived until the
Little Ice Age
made the land marginal for European life-styles in the 15th century?shortly before
Christopher Columbus
's first
voyage to the Americas
in 1492.
Pirate
raids, conflict with
Inuit
moving into the Norse territories, and the colony's abandonment by Norway became other factors in its decline.
[25]
Comparisons to Greenland saga
[
edit
]
There are numerous parallels between the Saga of Erik the Red and the Greenland saga, including recurring characters and recountings of the same expeditions, though with a few notable differences. The saga of Erik the Red portrays a number of the expeditions in the Greenland saga as just one expedition led by
Thorfinn Karlsefni
, although Erik's son Thorvald, his daughter Freydis and Karlsefni's wife Gudrid play key roles in the retelling.
[26]
Another notable difference is the location of their settlements. According to the Grœnlendinga saga, Karlsefni and the others settled in a place that is referred to only as Vinland, while in Erik the Red's saga they formed two base settlements: Straumfj?rðr where they spent the winter and the following spring, and Hop where they later settled but ran into problems with the natives they called
Skrælings
, as depicted in the Greenland saga.
[
citation needed
]
The two accounts are largely similar otherwise, both with heavy emphasis on the exploits of
Thorfinn Karlsefni
and his wife Gudrid.
[
citation needed
]
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History, 1300?1850
, Basic Books, 2002, p. 10.
ISBN
0-465-02272-3
.
- ^
Cooper Edens: Sea Stories: A Classic Illustrated Edition, 2007,
ISBN
9780811856348
, p. 53
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"Erik the Red ? Ages of Exploration"
.
exploration.marinersmuseum.org
.
Archived
from the original on 1 October 2017
. Retrieved
2 June
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"Grænlendinga saga"
[Saga of the Greenlanders].
Icelandic Saga Database
(in Icelandic). Chapter 2
. Retrieved
22 November
2023
.
- ^
"Erik the Red"
.
Britannica
.
Archived
from the original on 28 October 2020
. Retrieved
1 October
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"Grænlendinga saga"
[Saga of the Greenlanders].
Icelandic Saga Database
(in Icelandic). Chapter 4
. Retrieved
22 November
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Sephton, J. (1880).
"Eiriks saga rauða"
[Saga of Erik the Red].
Icelandic Saga Database
. Chapter 2
. Retrieved
22 November
2023
.
- ^
Watson, A.D. (August 1923).
"The Norse Discovery of America"
.
Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
.
17
: 260.
Bibcode
:
1923JRASC..17..257W
.
Archived
from the original on 27 October 2021
. Retrieved
18 April
2020
.
- ^
"Grænlendinga Saga." The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1973. 47?105.
- ^
a
b
Kudeba, N. (19 April 2014).
"5: Norse Explorers from Erik the Red to Leif Erikson ? Canadian Explorers"
.
The History of Canada
. Archived from
the original
on 8 May 2014.
- ^
Sephton, J. (1880).
"Eiriks saga rauða"
[Saga of Erik the Red].
Icelandic Saga Database
. Chapter 5
. Retrieved
22 November
2023
.
- ^
"Eric the Red"
.
Encyclopedia of World Bibliography
. 2004.
Archived
from the original on 28 October 2019
. Retrieved
8 November
2012
.
- ^
"Travel in the Footsteps of Erik the Red in Iceland"
.
www.carsiceland.com
. 31 March 2022.
Archived
from the original on 25 May 2022
. Retrieved
1 May
2022
.
- ^
"Full text of "The discovery of America by the Northmen"
.
archive.org
. Retrieved
11 October
2011
.
- ^
"History of Greenland"
.
visitgreenland.com
. Government of Greenland.
Archived
from the original on 24 September 2019
. Retrieved
16 January
2019
.
- ^
a
b
c
Oliver, Neil (15 November 2014).
The Vikings
. Pegasus Books LLC. pp. 212?213.
ISBN
978-1-60598-483-4
.
- ^
"Landnamabok"
.
Archived
from the original on 15 May 2011
. Retrieved
14 April
2020
.
- ^
In the Hands of a Child: Project Pack Explorers of the World
. In the Hands of a Child.
Archived
from the original on 23 April 2023
. Retrieved
2 October
2020
.
- ^
"The Saga of Eric the Red, in the Icelandic Sagas", p. 17. Olson, Julius E. and Edward G. Bourne (editors).
The Northmen, Columbus and Cabot, 985?1503: The voyages of the Northmen; The Voyages of Columbus and of John Cabot
. (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1906). pp. 14?44.
Online facsimile edition
Archived
20 February 2009 at the
Wayback Machine
. Accessed 8 February 2008
- ^
a
b
"Grænlendinga saga"
[Saga of the Greenlanders].
Icelandic Saga Database
(in Icelandic). Chapter 1
. Retrieved
22 November
2023
.
- ^
Farley Mowat,
Westviking: The Ancient Norse in Greenland and North America
(1965)
ISBN
978-0771066924
[
page needed
]
- ^
Delgado, James (2009).
Across the Top of the World: The Quest for the Northwest Passage
. D & M Publishers.
ISBN
978-1-926706-53-5
.
Archived
from the original on 23 April 2023
. Retrieved
2 October
2020
.
- ^
Topas (2 October 2020).
"Erik the Red's Land - The Norse in South Greenland"
.
www.greenlandbytopas.com
. Retrieved
12 April
2024
.
- ^
Marc Carlson,
History of Medieval Greenland
Archived
16 April 2015 at the
Wayback Machine
, 31 July 2001. Retrieved 1 August 2007.
- ^
Dale Mackenzie Brown, "
The Fate of Greenland's Vikings
Archived
4 November 2012 at the
Wayback Machine
,"
Archeology
, 28 February 2000. Retrieved 1 August 2007.
- ^
Smiley, Jane.
The Sagas of the Icelanders
. New York: Penguin Group, 2000. 653?74.
[
ISBN missing
]
External links
[
edit
]
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