Viking Sun Art Collection

EXPLORERS’ LOUNGE |

EXPLORERS’ LOUNGE | DECKS 7–8 LEIF ERIKSSON Leif Eriksson (c.970–1020) was a Norse Icelandic explorer and the first known European to have discovered North America, when he and his crew went ashore the land that is today known as Newfoundland. Eriksson’s expedition later resulted in more settlements in the area, although none of them were long lived. Eriksson, most likely born in Iceland, was the son of Norwegian Viking Erik the Red from Jæren, Norway, and his wife, Thjodhild. Following his exile from Iceland, Erik sailed westward with his family and became the first to colonize Greenland, founding two Norse settlements. He, himself, settled down southwest of Eriksfjord on a farm that he called Brattahlíð, where Eriksson grew up. At the age of 20, Eriksson acquired his own ship and crew and set out for Norway as a merchant. Along the way, he drifted off course to the South Isles (the Hebrides), northwest of Scotland, where he awaited weather that would permit him to continue his voyage. In the autumn of 999 AD, Eriksson arrived in Norway and became a member of Christian king Olav Tryggvason’s royal court. He remained there over the winter and was converted to Christianity. By the spring of 1000 AD, Eriksson was ready to return to Greenland and was sent on his way by King Olav with a priest and the task of spreading Christianity to the Greenlanders. During this journey, Eriksson was again taken off course and he came upon a new land in the West, a land of wheat fields and grape vines. He named it Vinland. Surprisingly few others made expeditions to Vinland after Eriksson. The last was led by his sister, Freydis. She, along with a small group of people, attempted to live there, but fell out of favor with the locals. For this reason, the sparse Norwegian settlements on Vinland did not leave a long-lasting impression as a colony or trading station, and Europe came to believe the New World was discovered five centuries later by Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. In 1964, the president of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson, officially declared October 9 as Leif Eriksson Day in honor of Eriksson’s discovery. Most Americans, however, are still taught that it was Columbus who first discovered North America. Canadians, on the other hand, learn that Vikings were the discoverers and have an exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec that depicts their history in Canada. 6

EXPLORERS’ LOUNGE | DECKS 7–8 7