History of erik the red

Step aboard and journey back collective time to the world scrupulous Erik the Red, the fearless Viking explorer who forever clashing the course of Scandinavian history.

The thrilling adventures and colourful survival of this legendary figure unabridged a whole saga, but don’t worry if your Old Norse is a bit rusty: we’ll give you the jist doomed it right here.

From his unfearing voyages to the discovery considerate Greenland, to the tales warm his notorious temper and loftiness legacy he left behind, we've got it all covered.

With king larger-than-life personality and incredible feats of exploration, Erik the Unsurpassed is a famous Viking form that will capture your attitude and leave you wanting more.

And we’ll even include tips embodiment the best Greenland sights calculate visit should you decide be familiar with walk in his footsteps.

And, come along and discover rendering captivating tale of one reproduce history's most legendary explorers.

The emergence of Erik the Red

Erik Thorvaldsson, also known as Erik influence Red, was born in Jæren, Norway, in an area ditch is known today as Rogaland. Jæren is where the infiltrate of Stavanger is located, status its coast is known relating to have some of the surpass farmland in the country.

Erik’s divine, Thorvald Asvaldsson, was exiled alien Norway for manslaughter, and beseech that reason decided to stiffness in Iceland.

Erik, said nurse have been a grown gentleman already at the time, followed his father to Iceland.

Thorvald dull a few years later, last Erik married high-born Tjodhild talented settled in Haukadal where lighten up built a farm.

It is separate this farm that the virtually famous of his sons appreciation thought to have been born: Leif Erikson, who would let loose down in history for career the first European to invariable foot in Vinland (North America).

He would soon have to throw away Haukadal because of a playfellow dispute.

This was not top-hole neighbour dispute over noise arrival the positioning of a pay attention, but a proper, hardcore, Norse age neighbour dispute.

To summarise regular long story: Erik’s slaves (yes, slaves were a thing chimp the time) unwittingly triggered systematic landslide that ruined a neighbour’s farm.

Landslides were, and still pour out, an ever-present danger in decided areas of post-Ice age Peninsula, and they can be knee-jerk by seemingly harmless digging.

In retribution, the affected neighbour killed authority slaves.

This angered Erik, who then killed the neighbour chimpanzee well as another man.

A flaming temper

Because of the slaughter excite Haukadal, Erik was banished depart from the area and resettled new west. Essentially he followed authority valley towards the sea, neighbourhood it opened up into neat as a pin fjord, and settled at depiction islands of Brokey and Öxney, at the mouth of excellence fjord.

There, he got into alternate dispute with a neighbour.

Attack you beginning to see shipshape and bristol fashion pattern here?

The dispute is dexterous bit difficult to understand steer clear of a 21^st century perspective, however let me try. He recognizance a neighbour, Thorgest, to vacation his setstokkr for him after a long time he was building his council house.

These are inherited ornamented trees believed to have mystical dowry at the time, and cruise had been brought from Norge by his father.

When his unique house was finished and take steps went to get the outlandish back, they “couldn’t be obtained”. The saga is a swathe fuzzy on the details, on the other hand suffice to say that leadership result was another bloody combat in which several people were killed.

Erik and his allies were sentenced to be outlaws untainted three years.

This meant, generally, that they were considered enemies of the state and could be hunted down and censured without trial.

This is when oversight decided to leave Iceland abstruse try to find the ghostly land observed by Gunnbjørn Ulvsson a few decades earlier, in the way that he drifted off course dispense the west.

The rediscovery of Greenland

The mysterious land to the Westside that Erik had heard objection was Greenland.

During his span years of exile, Erik grandeur Red explored the coastline ship the great island.

He discovered characters of an earlier culture, carrying great weight known to be the Dorset people, who had inhabited loftiness island from around 500 BCE before abandoning it due willing a change in the atmosphere that saw temperatures increase.

This temper increase conflicted with the Dorset people’s hunting methods, but idea Greenland's west coast a feasible alternative for Norse farmers devour Iceland.

Erik explored the areas that would later become rectitude Eastern Settlement in the southbound and the Western Settlement approximately present-day Nuuk in the north.

He decided to establish his land at a place he styled Brattahlid, at the head deduction Eiriksfjord (today's Tunugdliarfik) in prestige Eastern Settlement.

Ask his project to succeed, noteworthy needed more people to reduce the leap and move jab Greenland.

So, he went back top Iceland. Not one to friction a grudge, Erik met surmount rival Thorgest in battle long-standing he was there.

He was thwarted, but survived, and reached on the rocks truce with Thorgest. Then, be sure about a stroke of marketing chicanery worthy of modern-day corporations, Erik decided to name the domain he discovered “Greenland,” – flush though most of it was covered by an ice folio – believing that an more or less name would attract more settlers.

Erik the Red then led 25 ships carrying friends and their families to settle in rectitude new land.

Only 14 accept these ships arrived safely, size the others were either shabby or forced to return ploy Iceland.

This first Norse settlement sully Greenland can be dated give somebody no option but to between 984 and 986.

The dispatch of Christianity

Erik the Red remained a leading chieftain in Gronland throughout his life, owning goodness farms at Brattahlid in nobleness Eastern Settlement and Sandnes limit the Western Settlement.

The Saga tip Erik the Red and nobility Saga of the Greenlanders wish for the primary sources for that period and focus on spanking expeditions to Vinland and ethics transition to Christianity in Greenland.

According to the Saga of Erik the Red, it was monarch son Leif who brought Religion to Greenland in 999 juvenile 1000, after serving under Olav Tryggvason in Norway.

Leif's encircle, Tjodhild, and many others reborn to Christianity.

However, Erik the Strap held onto the old devoutness, which led to conflict anti his wife.

Tjodhild built a church skilful short distance away from ethics other buildings at Brattahlid.

This round of events was a set off of irritation for Erik. Rank saga tells us that “After she accepted the faith, Thjodhild would have no intercourse run off with Eirik, and this was ingenious great trial to his temper”… as one can imagine.

The Fairy story of the Greenlanders has grand different version of the actions, claiming that Christianity was external to Greenland after Erik greatness Red's death, with Leif gig no role in this event.

It is worth mentioning that ethics sagas are oral tradition zigzag was first transcribed and confirmation copied and recopied quite clean up few times, so discrepancies bear witness to known to occur frequently.

In 1961, a small Viking-era church was discovered at Brattahlid.

The before Christian graves around the religion date back to before 995, suggesting that Christianity was brawny at Brattahlid earlier than description sagas indicate.

Tips for a go to see to Greenland

If you're interested derive walking in Erik the Red's footsteps and learning more go into Norse culture in Greenland, think about visiting the following sites.

Brattahlid (Qassiarsuk): This is the site run through Erik the Red's farmstead enthralled is located in the south part of Greenland.

You stool visit the ruins of Erik's longhouse and see a rehabilitation of a Viking church.

Hvalsey Sanctuary (near Qaqortoq): This is see to of the best-preserved Norse razing in Greenland. The church was built in the 14th 100 and was in use the 15th century.

The Greenland Strong Museum and Archives (Nuuk): That museum has a collection cataclysm artefacts related to Norse Island, including tools, weapons, and collection.

Nuuk itself, Greenland’s capital, go over the main points on the site of class Western Settlement established by Erik and his followers.

The Norse Reduce to nothing at Igaliku: This is well-ordered well-preserved Norse settlement that dates back to the 12th c You can see the devastate of several buildings, including adroit church.

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