Leif Ericson (Old Norse: Leifr Eiríksson)[1] (c. The name Leif is of Scandinavian origin and its meaning is heir or descendent Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age 970 – c. 970 was a year in the 10th century. Events This is an area code in Northwest Colorado Also see 970 Gang By Place 1020) was a Norse[2] explorer who was probably the first European to land in North America (excluding Greenland). Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat meaning "Land of the Greenlanders" Grønland is a self-governing Danish Province located between the [3] According to the Sagas of Icelanders, he established a Norse settlement at Vinland, which has been tentatively identified with the L'Anse aux Meadows Norse site on the northern tip of the island of Newfoundland in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The Sagas of Icelanders ( Icelandic: Íslendingasögur)&mdashmany of which are also known as family sagas &mdashare prose histories describing Vinland was the name given to an area of North America by the Norseman Leifr Eiríksson, about the year A L'Anse aux Meadows (from the French L'Anse-aux-Méduses or "Jellyfish Cove" is an Archaeological site on the northernmost tip of the island Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of Newfoundland and Labrador (ˈnuːfɨn(dlənd ən(d ˈlæbrəˌdɔr (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador is a province of Canada, the tenth and latest to join the Confederation Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page
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Biography
Early life in Greenland
It is believed that Leif was born about AD 970 in Iceland,[4] the son of Erik the Red (Old Norse: Eiríkr inn rauði), a Norwegian explorer and outlaw and himself the son of a Norwegian outlaw, Þorvaldr Ásvaldsson. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( Erik the Red (950–c 1003 ( Old Norse: Eiríkr rauði; Icelandic: Eiríkur rauði; Norwegian: Eirik Raude; Danish Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional An outlaw or bandit is a person living the lifestyle of outlawry; the word literally means "outside the Law " by folk-etymology from the original Leif's mother was Thjodhild (Þjóðhildr). [5] Erik the Red had founded two Norse colonies in Greenland, the Western Settlement and the Eastern Settlement, as he had named them. Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat meaning "Land of the Greenlanders" Grønland is a self-governing Danish Province located between the The Western Settlement (Vestribyggð was the smaller of the two areas of Greenland settled in around 985 AD by Norse farmers from Iceland (the other The Eastern Settlement (Eystribygð Eystribyggð was the larger of the two areas of Greenland settled in approximately 985 AD by Norse farmers from Iceland
Leif Erikson had two younger brothers, Thorvaldr and Thorsteinn, and one sister, Freydís. Thorvald Ericsson ( old Icelandic: Þorvaldr Eiríksson) was the son of Eric the Red and brother of Leif Ericsson. Thorstein Eríksson was the youngest son of Erik the Red. Leif Eriksson 's voyage is discussed extensively in Brattahlid and Thorvald Leif's brother thinks that Freydís Eiríksdóttir was a daughter of Eric the Red, associated with the Norse exploration of North America. Leif married a woman named Thorgunna, and they had one son, Thorkell Leifsson. Son of Norse explorer Leif Ericson, Thorkell Leifsson succeeded his father as Paramount chieftain of Greenland some time after 1018
Exploring west of Greenland
During a stay in Norway, Leif Ericson converted to Christianity, like many Norse of that time. He also went to Norway to serve the King of Norway, Olaf I. Members of Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish royal families have been Norwegian monarchs. Olaf Tryggvason ( Old Norse: Óláfr Tryggvason, Norwegian: Olav Tryggvason) (960s &ndash September 9 ? 1000 was King of When he returned to Greenland, he bought the boat from Bjarni Herjólfsson and set out to explore the land that Bjarni had found (located west of Greenland), which was likely Newfoundland, Canada. Bjarni Herjólfsson ( fl 10th century) was a Norwegian explorer who is the first known European discoverer of the mainland of the Americas This article refers to the cardinal direction for other uses see West (disambiguation.
The Saga of the Greenlanders tells that Leif set out in the year 1003 to follow Bjarni's route with 35 crew members, but going north. Grœnlendinga saga or the Saga of the Greenlanders is an Icelandic saga. [6]
The first land he went to was covered with flat and shiny rocks (Old Norse: hellur, German: "hell"). He therefore called it Helluland ("Land of the Flat Stones"). Helluland is the name given to one of the three lands discovered by Leif Eriksson sometime around 1000 AD on the North Atlantic coast of North America This was possibly Baffin Island. Baffin Island (ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒃ Qikiqtaaluk, Île de Baffin Old Norse: Helluland) in the territory of Nunavut is the largest member Next he came to a land that was flat and wooded, with white sandy beaches. He called this Markland ("Wood-land"), which is possibly Labrador. Markland is the name given to a part of shoreline in Labrador Canada, named by Leif Eriksson when he landed in North America Modern Labrador Just like its island neighbour Newfoundland early settlement in Labrador was tied to the sea as demonstrated by the Montagnais, Innu and
Settlement in Vinland
Leif and his crew left Markland and again found land, which they named Vinland. The Minnesota State Capitol is located in Minnesota 's Capital city Saint Paul, and houses the Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Saint Paul ( abbreviated St Paul) is the capital and second most populous city in the U Vinland was the name given to an area of North America by the Norseman Leifr Eiríksson, about the year A They landed and built a small settlement. They found the area pleasant: there were plenty of salmon in the river and the climate was mild, with little frost in the winter and green grass year-round. They remained in the region over the winter.
The sagas mention that one of Leif's men, Tyrkir, possibly a Hungarian (because at that time the Hungarians were referred to as Turks)[7] or a German, found wild grapes. Hungarians (or Magyars, magyarok are an Ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary. The Turkic peoples are Eurasian peoples residing in northern central and western Eurasia who speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family [8]
On the return voyage, Leif rescued an Icelandic castaway named Þórir and his crew — an incident that earned Leif the nickname Leif the Lucky (Old Norse: Leifr hinn heppni).
Research done in the 1950s and 1960s by explorer Helge Ingstad and his wife, archaeologist Anne Stine, identified a Norse settlement located at the northern tip of Newfoundland, known as L'Anse aux Meadows, which many have connected to Leif's settlement. Helge Marcus Ingstad ( 30 December, 1899 in Meråker – 29 March, 2001 in Oslo) was a Norwegian explorer Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos Dr Anne Stine Ingstad (11 February 1918 &ndash 6November 1997 was a Norwegian Archaeologist who along with her husband Dr L'Anse aux Meadows (from the French L'Anse-aux-Méduses or "Jellyfish Cove" is an Archaeological site on the northernmost tip of the island
United States commemoration
In 1964, the United States Congress authorized and requested the president to proclaim October 9 of each year as "Leif Ericson Day". Leif Erikson Day is an American observance occurring on October 9 That date was chosen for its connection to the first organized immigration from Norway to the United States, not for any event in the life of the explorer. The day is also an official observance of several U. S. states.
Speculation
A few have speculated that Norsemen may have penetrated as far as modern day Minnesota, either coming down from Hudson Bay or going west through the Great Lakes. Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who speak one of the North Germanic languages as their native language Minnesota ( Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers The Laurentian Great Lakes are a chain of freshwater lakes located in eastern North America, on the Canada–United States border. A rather dubious runestone with carvings of a Scandinavian nature was discovered near Kensington, Minnesota, aptly titled the Kensington Runestone. Kensington is a city in Douglas County, Minnesota, United States. The Kensington Runestone is a slab of Greywacke covered in runes on its face and side which if it is genuine would suggest that Scandinavian explorers [9] In the 19th century, the theory that Ericson and his men visited New England gained in popularity. The statue of Ericsson on Commonwealth Ave. in Boston, Massachusetts and the Norumbega Tower in Weston, Massachusetts were both created as monuments to this supposed Viking presence. Commonwealth Avenue (colloquially referred to as Comm Ave by locals the latter word pronounced in the same manner as "have" is a major street in the cities of Norumbega Park was a recreation area and Amusement park located in " Auburndale-on-the-Charles " near Boston Massachusetts Weston is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States in the Boston metro area A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas [10]
There is only one piece of hard evidence that suggests Vikings may have visited what is now the United States: an 11th century Norse coin, the Maine Penny, found in Brooklin, Maine along with thousands of other artifacts during an excavation of a former Native American trading center. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Maine penny is a Norwegian silver penny dating to the reign of Olaf Kyrre. Brooklin is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The population was 841 at the 2000 census Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States However, it is noted that this coin may have made it from Newfoundland via trade or may have even been brought to North America centuries later by the English or Portuguese. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. [11] Although there have been numerous attempts over the decades to show Viking presence in United States, such as fanciful translations of mysterious stone carvings, or supposed European traits in some Native American tribes, there has been no evidence accepted by the professional archaeological community. [11]
See also
Notes
- ^ In modern Icelandic the first name is Leifur and in modern Norwegian Leif or less commonly Leiv. Giovanni Caboto ( c 1450 - c 1498 known in English as John Cabot, was an Italian Navigator and explorer commonly credited as the Replica To celebrate the 500th anniversary of Cabot's voyage a replica of the Matthew was built in Bristol Helge Marcus Ingstad ( 30 December, 1899 in Meråker – 29 March, 2001 in Oslo) was a Norwegian explorer Icelandic ( is a North Germanic language, the language of Iceland. Norwegian ( norsk) is a North Germanic Language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language The patronym is Anglicized in various ways, such as Ericson, Eriksson, Ericsson, Erickson, Erikson and Eiriksson. A patronym, is a component of a Personal name based on the name of one's father
- ^ Vísindavefurinn: Shouldn't Leifr Eiríksson ('Leif the Lucky') really be viewed as a Greenlander with family roots in Iceland and Norway?
- ^ Leif Erikson (11th century). BBC. Retrieved on 2008-04-.
- ^ In both Eiríks saga rauða and Landnáma, Leif's father is said to have met and married Leif's mother Þjóðhildur in Iceland, so Leif was in all likelihood born there. Landnámabók (meaning "The Book of Settlement" often shortened to Landnáma) is a medieval Icelandic manuscript describing in considerable detail the However, no official site is known. See [1]
- ^ Sanderson, Jeanette. (2002) Explorers, Teaching Resources/Scholastic. p. 14. ISBN 0-439-25181-8.
- ^ Another saga, The Saga of Eric the Red, relates that Leif discovered the American mainland while returning from Norway to Greenland in 1000 (or possibly 1001), but does not mention any attempts to settle there. However, the Saga of the Greenlanders is usually considered the more reliable of the two.
- ^ Erdődy János: Küzdelem a tengerekért - A nagy felfedező utazások kora (the title in English: Fight for the Seas - Age of the Great Geographical Discoveries); Móra Ferenc Könyvkiadó, Budapest, 1981. , pp. 10-11.
- ^ see also the Vinland's location debate, particularly about the short-i vs. Vinland was the name given to an area of North America by the Norseman Leifr Eiríksson, about the year A long-i objection
- ^ Mystery of the Mandan by Charles Moore, 1998.
- ^ Vikings on the Charles
- ^ a b Archaeologist Buries Viking Theory
External links
- Account of the discovery of North America from the “Saga of Eric the Red”.
- A reconstructed portrait of Leif Ericsson – Based on historical sources, in a contemporary style; from Reportret: gallery of reconstructed portraits
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- Leif Ericson Homepage – From the Great Norwegians webpages, hosted by Metropolitan News Company's website MNC Online.
- [2] A writing about the Vikings in "vinland".
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