We’re done with racist colonizer celebration. During his stay in the Hebrides, he fell in love with a noblewoman, Thorgunna, who gave birth to their son Thorgils. RELIGIOUS LIFE. Author of. The 13th- and 14th-century Icelandic accounts of his life show that he was a member of an early voyage to eastern North America, although he may not have been the first to sight its coast. Leif seemed to be raised for many years by his grandfather and referred to his actual father as a “foster father.”. The Leif Erikson Awards, established 2015, are awarded annually by the Exploration Museumin Húsavík, Iceland. Norway Area Preservation Society’s (NAPS) mission is “to promote and preserve our area’s history and culture and to beautify its appearance.” Annual Curb Appeal Contest; Contributor to the new tennis courts at Marion Park; Contributor to the Leif Erikson Festival in Norway; Contributed to Norway’s “Music in the Park,” a summer concert series. Leif was not the first European to see new lands to the west. Leif Eriksson took the faith to Greenland’s Viking settlers, who quickly accepted it. In the early eleventh century, Viking explorer Leif Ericson set out on a voyage to the farthest reaches of the Atlantic. Leif Eriksson’s main aim was to become important and famous in the Viking time. In 999, Leif became the royal bodyguard of King Olaf Tryggvason, who was the king of Norway. In Viking tradition, children are named after their father. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Some of the information suggests he found North America accidentally when his ship was blown off course. Leif Erikson. Bjarni would have been the first European to see a New World, but he never made landfall. He named the new areas according to their qualities: Helluland (“Land of Flat Rocks”), the Frobisher Bay area in the north (or possibly Cape Chidley on the northern tip of Labrador); Markland (“Land of Forests”), most likely the central coast of Labrador; and, farthest south, Vinland, possibly the area surrounding the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Finally, after two more days at sea, he landed in a verdant area with a mild climate and plentiful supplies of salmon. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. This edition celebrates the life and accomplishments of the great viking explorer Leif Erikson. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. They are awarded for achievements in exploration and in the study of the history of exploration. Leif Ericson, quiet possible the first European to set foot in North America (excluding Greenland). The legend further states that on his voyage back, Erikson rescued two men who were shipwrecked, thus earning the title Leif the Lucky. As a Norwegian born in Iceland, Leif Erikson worked for the Norwegian King Olaf and in that time converted to Christianity. Posted on Last updated: July 7, 2019 By: Author Russell Yost. Omissions? After Leif’s first trip to Vinland, he returned to the family estate of Brattahlíð in Greenland, and started preaching Christianity to the Greenlanders. The journey took longer than planned because of … While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. On his return to Greenland, he proselytized for Christianity and converted his mother, who built the first church in Greenland, at Brattahild, Erik the Red’s estate. After venturing further by sea, he landed the second time in a forested place he named Markland (Forest Land; possibly Labrador). Accomplishments. This is a cool fact about Leif Erikson! Vostok-Europe Great Explorers Leif Erikson Edition. It is said that Leif was born about AD 970 in Iceland, the son of Erik the Red, a Norse explorer from Western. Leif followed Bjarni’s route in reverse and landed first in a rocky and desolate place he named Helluland (Flat-Rock Land; possibly Baffin Island). There, he converted to Christianity, and the King told him to preach Christianity in Greenland. While Christopher Columbus did discover the West Indies he died believing he had reached Asia. Who was known as the Iron Chancellor? From the Irish famine to Lady Godiva, journey through European history in this quiz. Leif got hip to Christianity after a trip to Norway that resulted in his becoming a bit … 1000: Leif finally returns to Norway Leif left Canada several months later and finally returned to Norway. Mini Bio (1) Leif Erickson was born on October 27, 1911 in Alameda, California, USA as William Wycliffe Anderson. He was nicknamed “Leif the Lucky” by his father, the famous Erik the Red, who established the first Viking colony in Greenland in the 985 A.D. after he was banished from Iceland for murder. He would eventually earn the nickname “Leif the Lucky.” He was the son of Erik Thorvaldson, better known as “Erik the Red,” and Thorhild. Many believe that Christopher Columbus was the first European to lay eyes on a new continent, but almost 500 years prior to Christopher Columbus’s epic journey a Norseman named Leif Ericson set foot on North America. Leif Ericson was born to Erik the Red and his wife Þjóðhildur, and was the grandson of Thorvaldr Ásvaldsson. His father Erik was set to join him but dropped out after he fell from his horse on his way to set sail, an incident he interpreted as a bad omen. 1 talking about this. Leif was not the first European to see new lands to the west. 1001: Leif Ericson, the missionary Leif returned to Greenland as he had been asked. Learn how your comment data is processed. Around the year 999, Leif arrived in Norway after being blown off course and became a hirdman for King Olaf Tryggvason. The sagas have little to say about Leif’s upbringing, but he was … In 999, Erikson took a trip to Norway where King Olaf Tryggvason made the Viking a Christian. Several ships are named after Leif - a viking ship replica, a passenger ship,[56][57]and a large dredger. Leif Erikson's story was recorded in several different sagas, but the accounts they give are so different it is impossible to be certain of the details of his life. Who was he? But for some unknown reason, the Vikings only made a few voyages to the New World after Leif. His father Erik reacted coldly to the suggestion that he should abandon his religion, while his mother Thjóðhildr quickly became a Christian and built a church called Thjóðhild’s Church. Exploration in his family blood since he's the son of Erik the Red, who was the founder of the first European settlement in Greenland. What was the name of Franz Ferdinand’s assassin? After having wintered over in Vinland, Leif returned to Greenland in the spring with a cargo of grapes and timber. On his way to Greenland, Leif was blown off course and ended up landing in North America. When Erik the Red died, Leif Eriksson took over as chief of the Greenland settlement. History. He continued with his mission to introduce the religion of Christianity to Greenland and succeeded. Leif left Greenland to sail back to Norway for supplies. There was a story that trade merchant Bjarni Herjólfsson had also been … On his way to Greenland, Leif was blown off course and ended up landing in North America. According to the Ancient History Encyclopedia, Leif Erikson (also spelled Leif Eriksson, Leif Ericson, or Leifr Eiríkssonin Old Norse) was born in Iceland around 970-980 A.D. At Vinland, Erikson built a small settlement which was later known by the name Leifsbúðir (Leif's Booths). Updates? Leif was described as a wise, considerate, and strong man of striking appearance. According to the Grænlendinga saga (“Saga of the Greenlanders”) in the Flateyjarbók (“Book of the Flat Islands”), considered by many scholars to be more reliable in some aspects than Eiríks saga rauða, Leif learned of the new land to the west from the Icelander Bjarni Herjólfsson, who had been storm-driven there en route to Greenland about 15 years earlier. There was a story that trade merchant Bjarni Herjólfsson had also been blown off course and while he never made landfall he had seen a different land and had spoken about his sightings. Unfortunately, this caused his discovery to remain unknown to nearly all of Europe, which was in the midst of the Crusades. In Greenland, a young Erikson met wealthy farmers and chieftains who were pio… Erik the Red discovered Greenland, naming it so in an effort to attract settlers. At the age of 24, Leif was asked to captain his first voyage. This place would come to be known as Vinland. When Erik the Red had a son and named him Leif, he became Leif Eriksson (Leif, Erik’s son). He was married to Annie Ruth Diamond, Margaret Hayes and Frances Farmer. He was requested to deliver gifts from Greenland to King Olaf in Norway. While his accomplishments are often eclipsed by the later ones of Christopher Columbus, Leif Erikson was in fact the first European to have set foot on North America. In Norway he was urged to return to Greenland. Leif's … His son Thorgils was sent by his mother (whom Leif never married) to live in Greenland, but was apparently unpopular. The Vikings of Scandinavia were the first to discover and understand that there was a new continent to the west of them. In Greenland, his father refused to believe in Christianity, but his mother quickly embraced the new religion. He was a pioneer in European travel to North America and began a long history of Norse interaction with the natives of what is now Canada. Sein Beiname ist der Glückliche. Leif therefore named the land Vinland. They probably reached the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland; some think that the farthest point south reached by the settlers, as described in the sagas, fits best with Maryland or Virginia,…, …was visited and named by Leif Eriksson about the year 1000. As winter approached, he decided to encamp there and broke his party into two groups – one to remain at camp and the other to explore the country. After spending the winter there, he along with his crew members set sail to return to Greenland. Leif Eriksson (isländisch Leifur Eiríksson ['lɛiːvʏr 'ɛi:riksɔn], altnordisch Leifr Eiríksson; * um 970 in Island; um 1020) war ein isländischer Entdecker. Though his father proved unreceptive to the Christian faith, Leif was able to convert his mother, Thjodhild, who had Greenland’s first Christian church built at Brattahild. His ship was blown off course and he ended up in Canada. HE WAS A CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY. Leif's first voyage was with his dad at a young age when Erik the red was expelled from Iceland. It'd be nearly five-hundred years until Europeans dare to venture our across the Atlantic again. He told the people there about Christianity, and many of them … The second of the three sons of Erik the Red, the first colonizer of Greenland, Leif sailed from Greenland to Norway shortly before 1000 to serve among the retainers at the court of Olaf I Tryggvason, who converted him to Christianity and commissioned him to urge that religion upon the Greenland settlers. During one of these explorations, Tyrker discovered that the land was full of vines and grapes. Thorgils was later sent to Leif in Greenland, but he did not become popular. According to Eiríks saga rauða (“Erik the Red’s Saga”), while returning to Greenland in about 1000, Leif was blown off course and landed on the North American continent, where he observed forests with excellent building timber and grapes, which led him to call the new region Vinland (“Land of Wine”). Leif Ericson was the son of a Norse chief Erik the Red, named for his red beard. Corrections? Manufacturer: Vostok-Europe; Brand: Vostok Europe; Country of origin: Lithuania; Limited edition . The saga pictures Leif equipping an expedition to the new land shortly after 1000. Collecting treasures or slaves wasn’t one of Leif’s main goals he really just wanted to be well known in Viking times and to be remembered for discovering Vinland. Further expeditions to Vinland were later made by Leif’s siblings, Thorstein (whom weather forced to turn back before he reached Vinland), Thorvald, and Freydis, as well as by the Icelander Thorfinn Karlsefni. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. According to Eiríks saga rauða (“Erik the Red’s Saga”), while returning to Greenland in about 1000, Leif was blown off course and landed on the North American continent, where he observed forests with excellent building timber and grapes, which led him to call the new region Vinland (“Land of Wine”). After his time in Vinland, Eriksson returned to Greenland, and he would never return to North American shores. He continued with his mission to introduce the religion of Christianity to Greenland and succeeded. On the return voyage, he rescued an Icelandic castaway and his crew, earning him the nickname “Leif the Lucky.”. Nothing further is known about his family beyond the succession of Thorkell as chieftain. Leif Ericson Facts: Vinland. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leif-Erikson, British Broadcasting Corporation - Biography of Leif Erikson, The Mariners' Museum - Exploration through the Ages - Biography of Leif Ericsson, Dictionary of Canadian Biography - Biography of Leifr Eiriksson, Leif Eriksson - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Leif Eriksson - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). After several efforts Sweden became Christian during the reign of Sverker (, Leif, Erik’s son, together with some 30 others, set out in 1001 to explore. Many of the details of Ericson’s voyages are known from the books called the Norse Sagas. Leif Eriksson died around 1020 A.D. and left his estates to his second son, who was more popular with the people of Greenland than his eldest son. Leif Erikson was an Icelandic/Norse explorer and the first European who left a record of landing in North America, which he did almost 500 years before Columbus made his voyage.