Erik The Red's Role In Viking History

The Vikings were Norse seafarers, who mainly spoke the Old Norse language. They raided and traded from their Northern European homelands across wide areas of northern, central and eastern Europe, during the 9th to 11th century. The Vikings originated from Scandinavia, and the beginning of the Vikings expansion often originates from the raid of the Lindisfarne Monetary on 8 June 793. The Vikings were the first Westerners to sail to Iceland, Greenland, and over to the New World. However, the story of the Vikings is also an important story for the development of the Christian world in the West. Throughout this essay, I will explain the importance of Viking religion, Viking trade, and how the Viking age had an impact on the way Western and

Leif Eriksson set out from Greenland towards the west and first reached Baffin Island which he named Helluland or Land of Stone. From there he sailed south to Labrador and into the Gulf of St. Lawrence region which he named Vinland or Land of Wine for the wild grapes that were found there. He created a town at L'Anse aux Meadows,

The title "Viking" includes a wide description of Nordic people; Danes, Swedes, and Norwegians, who lived during a period of

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The Vikings were a group of Scandinavian raiders that were around from about the 8th century to the 11th. They mainly attacked the British Islands , the Frankish empire, England, but they also plundered places such as the Iberian peninsula and northern Africa. Vikings did not always settle into the places that they found, for instance after exploring North America they left the place never to return again. Even so, after landing on Greenland they colonized themselves there, and ancestors of the Vikings still live there today. So now that you know a little about the history of the Vikings lets go into detail about the specifics of the Viking age. (Peter Sawyer, Oxford Ill. History of the Vikings p. 1-19)

When one sees the word Viking, the mind firstly shifts to men who are uncivilized and unprincipled. Using evidence of achievements and victories will not only show how much they impacted Europe, but how sophisticated Vikings actually were. As Charlemagne’s empire ended, the people of Europe showed extraordinary resilience toward the new movements of the era. From 800 to 1200 CE, Vikings ruled medieval Europe. These Vikings, along with thick soil, are credited with shifting Europe from endemic violence toward cooperation and legal order. An attack on the Lindisfarne monastery off the coast of Northumberland in northeastern England marked the beginning of the Viking Age. Vikings began to appear in Europe due to Scandinavian raiders repeatedly visiting the Christian countries of Europe. At first they were content with just raiding lands, but soon they began to seize land and proclaim rule. They sought riches, not land. With this established rule, Vikings promised safety and began to reform the lands they had acquired. The people agreed due to starvation and possible attacks from eneimes. The new lands had a need for settled agriculture, defensive warfare and commerce. As the Vikings began to fulfill these needs they saw an expansion in cooperation and rule of law among the villagers.

The word Viking in the Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language says that the word Viking means the following. “Vi•king 1. any of the Scandinavian pirates who plunder the coasts of Europe from the 8th to 10th centuries. 2. a sea-roving bandit: pirate. 3. a Scandinavian. 4. U.S. Aerospace. One of a series of space probes that obtained scientific information about Mars.” (1)

Leif Erikson was thought to be born all the way back in 970 A.D. His father, known as Erik the Red actually discovered Greenland, where they were currently living. Granted, it was because he was kicked out of Iceland for murdering his neighbor, but it seems exploration seems runs in the family. Leif spent most of his life on Greenland until he was in his 30s, when he sailed to Norway where the vikings originated. It was there when Leif was converted to Christianity by King Olaf I Tryggvason. This event, which doesn’t seem all that relevant, is actually the catalyst for Leif’s voyage to discovering North

Viking history and culture have been depicted in many movies, television series, and stories. Vikings are commonly known as barbarians that raid villages and intimidate others with huge ships with dragon heads, and horned helmets. This information is based on facts, but has been distorted and exaggerated over many years and tales. Viking history spans from the years 780 until 1100, which is the time span of the Viking raids. Not every Scandinavian was a Viking; Vikings were known as the men that conducted raids and bloody battles. The old definition of Viking was synonymous with the term pirate. The modern definition is relevant to the Scandinavian medieval culture, to include farming, crafting and trading.

In the same year of 982 C.E, Erik the Red landed upon Greenland. They sailed around the southern tip of this newly discovered land before settling on an island at the mouth of Eriksfjord, which he named after himself. His small group of men explored the new country from north to west for two years, and chose Eriksfjord for his manor, which he named Brattahlid, translated to “steep slope”. He then named this new land “Greenland”, in the hope of attracting settlers. In 985 C.E Erik the Red led another expedition to Greenland, this time with a large fleet of 25 ships and with around 500 men and women, with livestock and enough materials to found a new colony. In the year 1000 C.E, Erik the Red’s son, Leif Eriksson, although Erik didn’t convert

The Vikings roamed the seas between the early ninth century and the early eleventh century. They were from the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It is believed that the Vikings “...were probably prompted to undertake their raids by a combination of factors ranging from overpopulation at home to the relative helplessness of victims abroad” (“Viking (people)”). During their raids, the Vikings also established settlements in Newfoundland,

Moving on to the third factor, the author explains that the Norse were definitely faced with hostile neighbors in Greenland. He states that “Inuit attacks and threats may have played a direct role in the Vikings’ extinction” (Diamond, 255). The Norse had a bad attitude towards the Inuit, and probably attacked and killed the first ones they say. The Inuit had

Leif Erickson was the son of Eric the Red, Eric the Red was an explorer that became a leader of a colony in Greenland, the colony that Eric the Red owned was later handed over to his son Leif. Leif Erickson was born in Iceland in the year 980, after Leif was born he was moved to Greenland with his father Eric the Red and some of his brothers. Later in his life around 1000 A.D., about 500 years before Christopher's voyage, Leif set out to discover new lands. Trying to follow Bjarnes tracks Leif Erickson led his Vikings over the Atlantic Ocean to the new land. Leif Erickson had drifted by the wind way out of course and spotted a flat wooded coastline far westward, this was the new world. When Leif got to this new land he founded a place named Vinland, he called it that because of all the grape vines the Vikings found there. It was later named America, after an Italian named Amerigo Vespucci. After a few years the colony in Vinland was abandoned after hostile attack by the native people along with the fact that it got too cold. The settlers moved across the land until their population numbered 3,000. But in the 1400s the climate changed dramatically for the worse and the settlement had disappeared within a few decades. Leif Erickson had opened a new land rich with resources for the Vikings to explore, but for some reason, the Vikings only

The Vinland Sagas are two Icelandic texts that include the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Eirik the Red. Both sagas tell similar yet different stories of Norse voyages to North America, a place they referred to as Vinland. The Vinland Sagas tell how the Norse travelled to North America and created settlements there until a battle with the natives broke out. The first of the Vinland Sagas is the Saga of the Greenlanders which focuses more on the voyages and settlements made by Bjarni Herjolfsson, Eirik the Red’s children, and Thorfinn Karlsefni. The second part of the Vinland Sagas is the Saga of Eirik the Red which focuses more on how an outlawed Eirik the Red discovered the modern-day country of Greenland, Leif Eirikson’s

In Jared Diamond’s novel 'Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed' he discusses many civilizations that moved away from their homelands, grew in population, and then either failed or succeeded in their new environments. Throughout this essay I will attempt to explain the Collapse of the Greenland Norse, one of the many societies to rise and fall. The Greenland Norse faced multiple challenges including economical, agricultural, and unfriendly neighbors. Alongside Greenland other North Atlantic islands faced geographical challenges that lead to some of their falls as well. Yet, first I will discuss why the Norse left Scandinavia in search of new terrain.