Erik the Red
Erik the Red, born Erik Thorvaldsson around 950 CE in Norway, is best known as the first European settler of Greenland. After being exiled from Norway for manslaughter, he moved to Iceland, where further conflicts led to another banishment. In search of new lands, Erik set sail around 982 CE and discovered a largely uninhabited, ice-free region which he named Greenland to entice potential settlers. He established a settlement at Brattahlid and upon returning to Iceland, he led an expedition in 985 with around twenty-five ships, successfully founding a colony that grew to about two to three thousand settlers.
Erik’s son, Leif Erikson, is also notable for his legendary voyages to areas believed to be part of North America, referred to as Vinland. Erik the Red's legacy continued until his death in 1003 CE, but the settlements he established eventually declined due to climate changes and other factors. Despite their eventual disappearance, archaeological discoveries have revealed that the Viking settlers, including Erik and his family, were skilled in farming, hunting, and toolmaking, leaving a lasting impact on Greenland's history and culture.
Erik the Red
Explorer
- Born: 950 CE
- Place of Birth: Jaeren, Norway
- Died: 1003 CE
- Place of Death: Qassiarsuk, Greenland
Significance: Erik the Red, the first European settler in Greenland, set sail across the Atlantic after he was banished from Iceland, and as a result, he discovered a new land around 982 CE.
Background
Erik Thorvaldsson was born in 950 CE in the Jaeren District of Rogaland, Norway. Erik was the son of Thorvald Asvaldsson and Åsvald Åsvaldson. In the tenth century, Norway flourished under Thorvald. After being exiled from Norway for manslaughter, Thorvald, along with his son Erik, left for western Iceland. Erik was ten years old when he left Norway. Erik was nicknamed Erik the Red since his hair and beard were red.
Erik grew up to be an adventurous and a hot-tempered young man. After his father’s death, Erik married Thorhild, who was the daughter of a wealthy man named Jorund. It is believed that she received land in Haukadale from her father as part of her dowry. Not long afterwards, Erik built a farm on the shores of Bredefjord. Around 980, his men got into a confrontation with another farm owner in the area. A kinsman of this other farmer killed Erik’s slaves. The accounts of what happened next differ in some details. In retaliation for these murders, Erik killed either one or more of the farmer’s relatives, and as a result, the aggrieved family banished Erik from Haukadale. Taking his family with him, Erik moved north to the island of Oxney in Iceland.
Around 982, Erik found himself in trouble again. He entrusted to a fellow settler, a man named Thorgest, some prized possessions containing Viking symbols that were believed to have mystical power in the Nordic pagan religion. Later, Erik went to reclaim the possessions from Thorgest, but the man refused to return them. After managing to retake the objects that the man had refused to part with, Erik went back to his settlement. This incident led to a terrible battle, and as a result of this conflict, Thorgest’s two sons were killed. Erik was banished for manslaughter by the village court for three years. This time, Erik decided to leave Iceland altogether.
Explorations
Since Erik the Red had been exiled for three years from Iceland, he decided to search for a new land. Along with his men, he landed on an island that was ice-free and was very much like Iceland. He called it Eriksfjord. For almost two years, he explored different lands in the west and north. During this period, Erik called Brattahlid, the name of his estate, his home; Brattahlid was located in the inner areas of Eriksfjord. He named this new land Greenland in order to attract more settlers, but according to some stories, a few Norsemen had already discovered this land. However, Erik the Red, as he was popularly known, was the first European to actually settle in Greenland.
Erik traveled back to Iceland after his three-year exile had ended, and upon his return, he was blessed with a son. He and his wife, Thorhild, named the boy Leif Erikson.
Around 985, Erik took many people from Iceland to the new territory (Greenland). They all sailed from Iceland in about twenty-five ships, but due to storms and bad weather, only around fourteen ships landed safely at Eystribygd. Initially, a colony of about three to four hundred settlers was formed; however, in time, this settlement grew to number around two to three thousand settlers.
The settlers started farming on the southwest coast, and when the weather in summer was favorable, they traveled around in search of food. They would return home with whales, seals, and ivory from walrus tusks. These food-gathering expeditions took the settlers above the Arctic Circle to Disko Bay.
At some point, Leif, the eldest son, asked his father, Erik, to allow him to lead an expedition with thirty-five other men. He was hoping that they would discover yet another land. According to legend, it was Erik the Red’s son, Leif, and not Columbus, who discovered America, or Vinland as Leif called it, in 1000.
Erik the Red, the explorer of Greenland, did not subsequently discover other lands because he injured his leg when he fell from a horse. However, history will always remember him as the Norseman who sailed west and discovered a new land, Greenland.
While Erik the Red was still alive, Greenland was hit by an epidemic. Erik himself died in the winter of 1003 at Qassiarsuk, Greenland, after contracting a disease from the settlers who had arrived at his estate. By the fifteenth century, the settlements he had founded had disappeared. Centuries later, archeologists found many Viking remains in Greenland. From these discoveries, we learned not only that Erik the Red’s men were warlike people, but also that they were skilled farmers, fishermen, hunters, and toolmakers.
In 1536, Norway and Greenland were united with Denmark. Centuries later, in 1814, came one of the most important political events of Norse history: the end of this union. Although Greenland retained its name and continued to be ruled by Denmark after this date, the union was officially dissolved.
Impact
Greenland developed mainly due to the influence of the Vikings, who had come from Iceland with their leader, Erik the Red; however, their impact on the land lasted for nearly two centuries. Unfortunately, a major climate change forced many of these settlers to abandon Greenland sometime between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
Personal Life
Erik the Red lived in Greenland like a lord along with his wife, Thorhild, and their four children—the three sons Leif, Thorvald, and Thorstein; and their daughter, Freydis. Because Erik the Red believed in his pagan gods, he and his wife, who accepted Christianity as her faith, eventually became estranged.
Bibliography
"Erik the Red." Bio.A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2016. <http://www.biography.com/people/erik-the-red-9288270#synopsis>.
Lindbergh, Judith. "On the Trail of Erik the Red." Scandinavian Review (Spring/Summer 1997): 78+. Print.
Oleson, Tryggvi J. Early Voyages and Northern Approaches, 1000–1632. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1963. Print.
Wallace, Birgitta. "Erik the Red." Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2016. <http://www.britannica.com/biography/Erik-the-Red>.
Wilson, Samuel M. "The Vikings and the Eskimos." Natural History (Feb. 1992): 18+. Print.