Leif Erikson
Leif Erikson | |
---|---|
![]() Modern artistic rendering of Leif Erikson inLeif Erikson Park,Duluth, Minnesota | |
Born | c. 970s[1] |
Died | c. 1018 to 1025[1] |
Nationality | Norse:Icelandic |
Occupation | Explorer |
Known for | First European inVinland(part of North America; probablyNewfoundland) |
Partner | Thorgunna (c. 999) |
Children | 2 |
Parent(s) | Erik the Red(father) Þjóðhildur (mother) |
Relatives | Thorvald,Thorstein,andFreydís(siblings) |
Leif Erikson,[note 1]also known asLeif the Lucky(c. 970s– c. 1018 to 1025),[1]was aNorseexplorer who is thought to have been the first European to set foot on continentalAmerica,approximately half a millennium beforeChristopher Columbus.[7][8]According to thesagas of Icelanders,he established aNorse settlementatVinland,which is usually interpreted as being coastal North America. There is ongoing speculation that the settlement made by Leif and his crew corresponds to the remains of a Norse settlement found inNewfoundland, Canada,calledL'Anse aux Meadows,which was occupied approximately 1,000 years ago.
Leif's place of birth is unknown,[9]although it is assumed to have been inIceland.[10][11][12]His father,Erik the Red,founded the firstNorse settlement in Greenland,where Leif was later raised. Following his voyage to Vinland and the subsequent death of his father, Leif became chief of the Greenland settlement. He had two known sons: Thorgils, born in theHebrides;and Thorkell, who succeeded him as Greenland's chieftain.
Early life
Leif was the son ofErik the Redand his wife Thjodhild (Old Norse:Þjóðhildur), and, through his paternal line, the grandson ofThorvald Ásvaldsson.When Erik the Red was young, his father was banished fromNorwayfor manslaughter, and the family went into exile inIceland(which, during the century preceding Leif's birth, had been colonized by Norsemen, mainly from Norway). Leif was also a distant relative ofNaddodd,[13][unreliable source?]who discovered Iceland.[14]
Leif's year of birth is often estimated in thec. 970s.[15]Though his birthplace is not accounted for in thesagas,[16]it is likely he was born in Iceland,[10]where his parents met[17]—probably somewhere on the edge ofBreiðafjörður,and possibly at the farmHaukadal,where his mother's family was based.[10]
Erik was later banished from Iceland and sailed west to a place he namedGreenland.He then briefly returned to Iceland to bring his family and other colonists back with him to Greenland, establishing its first permanent settlement in 986.[16][18]Leif grew up on the family estateBrattahlíðin theEastern Settlementof Greenland. He had two brothers, whose names wereThorsteinandThorvald,and a sister,Freydís.[19]Tyrker,one of Erik'sthralls,had been specially trusted to keep charge of Erik's children, as Leif later referred to him as his "foster father."[20]
Discovering Vinland
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Leif_Erikson_Discovers_America_Hans_Dahl.jpg/265px-Leif_Erikson_Discovers_America_Hans_Dahl.jpg)
TheSaga of Erik the Redand theSaga of the Greenlanders,both thought to have been written around 1200,[21]contain different accounts of the voyages toVinland(usually interpreted as coastal North America).[22][23]The only two known strictly historical mentions of Vinland are found in the work ofAdam of Bremenc. 1075and in theBook of Icelanders,compiledc. 1122byAri the Wise.[24]
Account in theSaga of Erik the Red
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Leifr_hinn_heppni.jpg/265px-Leifr_hinn_heppni.jpg)
According to this saga, Leif discovered Vinland after beingblown off courseon his way from Norway to Greenland.[25]Before this voyage, Leif had spent time at the court of Norwegian KingOlaf Tryggvesson,where he had converted to Christianity. When Leif encountered the storm that forced him off course, he had been on his way tointroduce Christianityto the Greenlanders. After they had arrived at an unknown shore, the crew disembarked and explored the area. They found wild grapes, self-sown wheat, and maple trees. Afterwards, they loaded their ship with samples of these newly-found goods and sailed east to Greenland, rescuing a group of shipwrecked sailors along the way. For this act, and for convertingNorse Greenlandto Christianity, Leif earned the nickname "Leif the Lucky".[26]Leif did not return to Vinland, but others from Greenland and Iceland did, includingThorfinn Karlsefni.[27]
Account in theSaga of the Greenlanders
According to this saga, Leif was not the first European to discover Vinland. InsteadBjarni Herjólfssonand his crew—on a voyage from Iceland to Greenland—were overtaken by wind and fog, missed the southern tip of Greenland, and encountered an unknown coast. Believing it to be somewhere other than Greenland, they did not disembark but rather continued to sail and found two additional coasts that did not correspond with their understanding of Greenland.[28]After sailing back east, they eventually made it to their original destination, and then told of their discoveries.[29]
Roughly 15 years later, Leif approached Bjarni, purchased his ship, gathered a crew of thirty-five men, and mounted an expedition towards the land Bjarni had described.[30][31]His father Erik was set to join him but dropped out after he fell from his horse on his way to the ship, an incident he interpreted as a bad omen.[32]Leif followed Bjarni's route in reverse and landed first in a rocky and desolate place he namedHelluland(Flat-Rock Land; possiblyBaffin Islandor northern parts of Labrador).[33]After venturing further by sea, he landed the second time in a forested place he namedMarkland(Forest Land; possibly nearCape Porcupine, Labrador).[33]After two more days at sea, he landed on an island to the north (possiblyBelle Isle), and then returned to the mainland, going past a cape on the north side (perhapsCape Bauld).[33]They sailed to the west of this and landed in a verdant area with a mild climate and plentiful supplies of salmon. As winter approached, he decided to encamp there and sent out parties to explore the country.[33]During one of these explorations, Tyrker discovered that the land was full of vines and grapes. Leif therefore named the land Vinland ('Wineland').[33][34]There, he and his crew built a small settlement, which was calledLeifsbudir(Leif's Booths) by later visitors from Greenland.
After having wintered over in Vinland, Leif returned to Greenland in the spring with a cargo of grapes and timber.[30][35]On the return voyage, he rescued an Icelandic castaway and his crew, earning him the nickname "Leif the Lucky".[36]Leif never returned to Vinland, but others from Greenland and Iceland did.
Archeological evidence of Vinland
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Authentic_Viking_recreation.jpg/265px-Authentic_Viking_recreation.jpg)
Most researchers and scholars agree that Vinland was a region in North America.[38]
Research done in the early 1960s by Norwegian explorerHelge Ingstadand his wife, archaeologistAnne Stine Ingstad,identified a Norse site[39]located at the northern tip of Newfoundland. It has been suggested that this site, known asL'Anse aux Meadows(carbon dating estimates 990–1050 CE[40][41][42]andtree-ring analysisdating to the year 1021[43]) could be Leifsbudir. The Ingstads demonstrated that Norsemen had reached North America about 500 years beforeChristopher Columbus.[44][45]Later archaeological evidence suggests that Vinland may have been the areas around theGulf of St. Lawrenceand that the L'Anse aux Meadows site was a ship repair station and waypoint for voyages there. That does not necessarily contradict the identification of L'Anse aux Meadows as Leifsbudir[45][46]since the two sagas appear to describe Vinland as a wider region which included several settlements. TheSaga of Erik the Redmentions two other settlements in Vinland: one calledStraumfjǫrðr,which lay beyond Kjalarnes promontory and theWonderstrands,and one called Hóp, which was located even farther south.[47]
Personal life
Leif has been described in theVinland sagasas a wise, considerate and strong man of striking appearance.[48]When he was of a proper age, Leif went to Norway, likely to serve as aretainerto its king,Olaf Tryggvason.[49]It was on this journey to Norway that theSaga of Erik the Redstates that Leif's ship was driven to theHebrides,where he and his crew were forced to remain for much of the summer, awaiting favorable winds.[50]During his stay there, Leif fell in love with a noblewoman, Thorgunna, who gave birth to their son Thorgils.[19]Thorgunna remained in the Hebrides when Leif left, as he refused to take her along without permission from her family.[51]Thorgils was later sent to Leif in Greenland, but he did not become popular.[52]
After arriving at the court of Norway's King Olaf Tryggvason, Leif was converted to Christianity. According to both theSaga of Erik the Red,andOlaf Tryggvason's Sagaas found inHeimskringla,after Leif's conversion, the king then commissioned him to return to Greenland to convert the settlers there. During the journey, he was blown off course and discovered Vinland before finding his way to Greenland.[27]Leif's father Erik reacted coldly to the suggestion that he should abandon his religion, while his mother Thjóðhildr became a Christian and built a church called Thjóðhild's Church.[53]Adifferent versionofOlaf Tryggvason's Saga,found inFlateyjarbók,makes no reference to Leif being blown off course and discovering Vinland during his return from Norway, but indicates that after arriving in Greenland, all of that country was converted, including Leif's father Erik.[54]Some versions ofOlaf Tryggvason's Sagaalso indicate that to help with the conversion, Leif brought a priest and clerics with him to Greenland.[55]
Chieftaincy and death
The winter following Leif's return from Vinland, his father died (shortly after 1000 CE),[1]making Leif paramount chief in Greenland.[31]Leif is last mentioned alive in 1018 in theSaga of St. Olaf.[1]According toThe Saga of the Sworn Brothers,by 1025 the chieftaincy ofEiríksfjǫrðrhad passed to his son Thorkel.[56][1]Nothing is mentioned about his death in the sagas—he probably died in Greenland some time between these dates.[57]Nothing further is known about his family beyond the succession of Thorkell as chieftain.[1]
Historicity
Leif is, in all likelihood, a historical figure who remains the first known European to set foot in continental North America,[58]but other details of his life vary and are a subject of debate. It has been suggested by several scholars that both Leif's sister, Freydís, and his foster father, Tyrker, are works of fiction, as are their roles in the Vinland sagas.[59]Leif's commission as a missionary to Greenland may also be fictional, as that aspect of his story is often attributed toGunnlaugr Leifsson'sversionofÓláfs saga Tryggvasonar(which likely served as a source for some of the other sagas which mention Leif).[60][31]
Legacy
Norse and medieval Europe
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Faroe_stamps_225-226_Discovery_of_America.jpg/265px-Faroe_stamps_225-226_Discovery_of_America.jpg)
Leif's successful expedition in Vinland encouragedother Norsemen to also make the journey,and the Norse became the first Europeans to colonize the area. In the end there were no permanent Norse settlements, although sporadic voyages at least to Markland for forages, timber and trade possibly lasted for centuries.[61][62]The casual tone of references to these areas may suggest that their discovery was not seen as particularly significant by contemporaries, or that it was assumed to be public knowledge, or both.[24]Knowledge of the Vinland journeys spread around medieval Europe, although to what extent is unclear; writers made mention of remote lands to the west, and notably the medieval chroniclerAdam of Bremendirectly mentions Vinland (c. 1075) based upon reports from theDanes.[note 2]It has been suggested that the knowledge of Vinland might have been maintained in European seaports in the 15th century, and that Christopher Columbus, who claimed in a letter to have visited Iceland in 1477, could have heard stories of it.[63]
Norse encounters with the Indigenous peoples
While Leif had no contact with the Indigenous peoples of Vinland,[64][65]later Norse explorers did, referring to them asskrælingi,an archaic term for "wretches".[66]
According to theSaga of Erik the Red,the first encounter was made during a colonizing expedition led by Thorfinn Karlsefni, which also included Leif's brother Thorvald. At first this group traded with the natives, but weeks later the new Norse settlement at Hóp was attacked and Karlsefni decided to abandon it. The Norse retreated to their other settlement at Straumfjǫrðr, where they remained and continued to explore the general area. One morning they encountered aone-leggednative, who shot an arrow that killed Thorvald.[64]He is famously known for pulling the arrow out, and poetically reciting the phrase, "This is a rich country we have found; there is plenty of fat around my entrails", upon which he dies.[66]On their return to Greenland, Karlsefni's crew captured two native boys, taking them to Greenland.[64]
According to theSaga of the Greenlanders,Leif's brother Thorvald made first contact with the natives.[63]The encounter happened while Thorvald and his crew were exploring the coast, likely in the Markland area, and found nine natives asleep under boats. They attacked the natives, killing eight of them, while one escaped. Shortly after, in an apparent reprisal, Thorvald was killed by a native's arrow. Later, Thorfinn Karlsefni led a group to colonize Vinland and encountered natives, who they initially traded with, but relations soured when a native was killed attempting to steal weapons from the Norse. In retaliation, the natives attacked and Karlsefni decided to abandon the colony.[64]
Travels and commemoration
Stories of Leif's journey to North America had a profound effect on the identity and self-perception of laterNordic Americansand Nordic immigrants to the United States.[18]The firststatue of Erikson(byAnne Whitney)[67]was erected inBostonin 1887 at the instigation ofEben Norton Horsford,who was among those who believed that Vinland could have been located on theCharles RiverorCape Cod;[18]not long after,another casting of Whitney's statuewas erected inMilwaukee.[68]A statue was also erected inChicagoin 1901, having been originally commissioned for the 1893World's Columbian Expositionto coincide with the arrival of the reconstructedViking shipfromBergen,Norway.[18]Another work of art made for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, the paintingLeiv Eirikson Discovering AmericabyChristian Krohg,was in the possession of a Leif Erikson Memorial Association in Chicago before being given back to theNational Gallery of Norwayin 1900.[69]
For the centenary of the first official immigration of Norwegians to America, PresidentCalvin Coolidgestated at the 1925Minnesota State Fair,to a crowd of 100,000 people, that Leif had indeed been the first European to discover America.[18]Additional statues of him were erected at theMinnesota State CapitolinSt. Paulin 1949, nearLake SuperiorinDuluth, Minnesota,in 1956, and in downtownSeattle.[18]
In 1924, a party of four consisting of a Swede, an Englishman, and two Americans attempted to emulate Leif's voyage in an eponymous 40-foot vessel but were lost after reaching the west coast of Greenland.[70]: 267
In 1930, astatue of Leifwas erected in the city center of Reykjavík, Iceland – currently situated in front ofHallgrímskirkja– as a gift from the United States to Iceland to commemorate the 1,000 year anniversary ofAlþingi,the parliament of Iceland.[71]
TheLeif Erikson Awards,established 2015, are awarded annually by theExploration MuseuminHúsavík,Iceland. They are awarded for achievements in exploration and in the study of the history of exploration.[72]
Several ships are named after Leif –a Viking ship replica,a commercial passenger/vehicle ferry,[73][74]and a largedredger.[75]
Erikson is recalled asLeif the Luckyin theRobert FrostpoemWild Grapes.[76]
Leif Erikson Day
In 1929, theWisconsin Legislaturepassed a bill to make 9 October "Leif Erikson Day" in the state, and in the years following, several other states adopted laws to observe the day.[77]In 1935, legislation was introduced to theUnited States Congressrequesting federal observance of the day. Before the legislation was passed, it was amended so that the observance would only occur in 1935[78](which it was, following a proclamation that year by President PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt).[79]In the subsequent decades, a number of unsuccessful attempts were made to pass legislation requesting Leif Erikson Day be proclaimed annually by the president.[80]Proponents eventually succeeded, when, in 1964, the Congress authorized and requested the president to proclaim 9 October of each year as "Leif Erikson Day".[18]In the years since, each president has issued an annual proclamation calling for observance of the day.[81]
The Sagas do not give the exact date of Leif's landfall in America, but state only that it was in the fall of the year. At the suggestion of Christian A. Hoen ofEdgerton, Wisconsin,9 October was settled upon for Leif Erikson Day, as that already was a historic date for Norwegians in America, the shipRestaurationenhaving arrived inNew York Harboron 9 October 1825[77][82]fromStavangerwith the first organized party of Norwegian immigrants.[83]
Gallery of art and sculptures
-
Leif Erikson memorial statueat Shilshole Bay Marina,Port of Seattle
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Leif Eriksson Memorial(1929–1932),Reykjavík, Iceland.This statue is at the front of theHallgrímskirkja.There is a copy of this statue inNewport News, Virginia,USA.[84]
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Leif Erikson byJohn K. Daniels,1948–49, near theMinnesota State Capitol.
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Theoldest public statue of Leif,placed inBostonin 1887.
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A 'Leif Ericson'proof dollarfrom the United States, minted in 2000. It reads 'Founder of the New World'
In fiction
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Vinland_Saga_simplified_logo.svg/220px-Vinland_Saga_simplified_logo.svg.png)
- Leif is the main character in the 1928 filmThe Viking.[85]
- In children's literature, Leif the Lucky written and illustrated byIngri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire.Published by Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1941.[86]
- Leif is one of the main characters inMakoto Yukimura'smangaVinland Saga.[87]
- Leif is the main character in the juvenile historical novelVinland the Good.The author isHenry Treece,and it is illustrated by William Stobbs. It is an account of Viking Era explorations, based mainly on the Greenland saga.[88]
- An Old Captivityis a novel which involves a dream sequence featuring a character called Leif Ericson. Notably, it also features an attempt to uncover historical Viking settlements using air surveys. It was written byNevil Shuteand published in 1940.[89]
- Leif is a main character in theNetflixhistorical dramaseriesVikings: Valhallaplayed bySam Corlett.[90]
See also
- Leif Erikson Awards
- Leif Ericson Millennium commemorative coins
- Alonso Sánchez,a Spanish navigator who purportedly visited the Americas before Columbus
- Saint Brendan,a legendary Irish navigator
- Jean Cousin,a French navigator with a similar claim
- Kunyu Wanguo Quantu,1602 Chinese world map purportedly transcribed with Chinese data from 1430
Notes
- ^ThepatronymisAnglicizedin various ways in the United States; according to one source,Leif Ericsonis the most common rendering on theEast Coast,whileLeif Eriksonis the most common rendering on theWest Coast.[2]Eriksonis the spelling widely used and recognized by many others.[3][4][5][6]Old Norse:Leifr Eiríksson[ˈlɛivz̠ˈɛiˌriːksˌson];Icelandic:Leifur Eiríksson[ˈleiːvʏrˈeiːˌriksˌsɔːn];Norwegian:Leiv Eiriksson;Swedish:Leif Eriksson;Danish:Leif Eriksen
- ^Adam mentions Vinland (Winland) in Chapter 39 of Book IV of hisGesta:'In addition, he [i.e.,Sweyn Estridsson,king of Denmark (reigned 1047–1076)] named one more island in this ocean, discovered by many, which is called "Vinland", because vines grow wild there, making the best wine. For [that] crops [that are] not sown, abound there, we learn not from fanciful opinion but from the true account of the Danes.'Adam von Bremen (1917). Schmeidler, Bernhard (ed.).Hamburgische Kirchengeschichte[Hamburg's Church History] (in Latin and German). Hannover and Leipzig, Germany: Hahnsche. pp. 275–276.
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Here [L'Anse aux Meadows] Norse expeditions sailed from Greenland, building a small encampment of timber-and-sod buildings...
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Modeling results were remarkably consistent, and model A suggests Norse occupation began Cal AD 910–1030..... A weighted mean of twig dates—notwithstanding issues associated with combination of 14C ages from multiple individuals—provided a result of AD 986–1022
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{{cite book}}
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For quite a few years, and even prior to the time that I first came to Congress, similar resolutions had been introduced, seeking to have October 9 declared Leif Erikson Day. All of the previous efforts have been unsuccessful.
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Conflict with the Norwegian authorities was one of the main motivations for emigrating to America. Quakers were not allowed to live everywhere in Norway...This led to the first organized emigration in 1825.
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Bibliography
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External links
Media related toLeifur Eiríkssonat Wikimedia Commons
- Works about Leif EriksonatOpen Library
- Beazley, Charles Raymond(1911). .Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 16 (11th ed.). p. 396.
- Leif Erikson
- 970s births
- 1020s deaths
- 10th-century Christians
- 10th-century Icelandic people
- 11th-century Christians
- 11th-century Icelandic people
- Converts to Christianity from Germanic paganism
- Greenlandic Christians
- Explorers of Canada
- Icelandic explorers
- Icelandic sailors
- Viking Age in Canada
- Scandinavian explorers of North America
- Viking explorers
- 10th-century explorers
- 10th-century Vikings
- Norse settlements in Greenland