| Viking Discoveries |
 |
Viking ships are the earliest vessels known to have
crossed the Atlantic. Norwegian exploration of the
Atlantic resulted in the discovery of Iceland by
860 A.D. By 930 A.D., 10,000 Vikings settled in
the new land and created the new republic of Iceland.
Sea travel between Norway and Iceland became the
norm.
Eric
the Red sailed from Iceland in [982
A.D.] and discovered Greenland. By [985 A.D.],
he convinced settlers to join him in the new country.
In [1002 A.D.], Eric's son, Leifr discovered a
new land called Vinland. What we know of the explorations
of Eric the Red and Leifr
Eiriksson was written down centuries
later in sagas (prose narratives recording the
deeds of historic and legendary figures and events
in the heroic age of Norway and Iceland) that
were passed down from generation to generation.
Many aspects of the sagas give them authenticity:
there are accounts of the Vikings' seafaring talents,
their early knowledge of astronomy, and accounts
of Leif Ericsson's first landing in North America.
There is no other record of Europeans sailing
to America until the time of Columbus. The sagas
have geographical details about the new lands
that are quite accurate and validated by modern-day
discoveries of Viking-type settlements in Newfoundland.
According to
the sagas, Eric the Red left Norway to live
in Iceland, but was forced to leave in [982
A.D.] because he killed someone and had
frequent quarrels with powerful families.
During his travels, he discovered a land
he called Greenland. He explored there for
three years and returned to Iceland to convince
settlers to join him.
By late 985 A.D. and early 986 A.D., Eric
left Iceland with 25 ships loaded with families,
livestock, and belongings. Only 14 ships
survived the journey and a new colony was
started with 300 people. The colony prospered
and established trade routes with Norway.
One of these settlers was a man named Heriolf.
His son did not initially join him on his
journey to Greenland, but sailed later from
Iceland to find the new colony. While sailing,
the son, Biarni
Heriolfsson was blown off course
and located an unknown land. It is possible
he accidentally discovered the eastern coast
of Canada. Years later, Eric's son, Leifr,
asked Biarni about his voyage and backtracked
on Biarni's course to explore the coast
of present-day Canada. He then sailed south
and discovered an island he called Vinland
(present-day Newfoundland). Eventually a
colony was founded in Vinland that lasted
for three years. The Vikings traded with
the native population known as Skraelings.
In time, the Skraelings became unfriendly
and the Vikings were forced to abandon their
colony and return to Greenland. Vikings
continued to sail to Canada for timber after
this timeframe. |
|
 |
viking
explorers | viking
discoveries | viking
ships |
