The end of the 10th century in history was marked not only by major military-political conflicts, but also by the colonization of Greenland by Scandinavian settlers. The “Green Country” owes its discovery to the Norwegian Eric Red (950-1003), who went in search of new lands, since he was expelled from Iceland for his wild temper.
Eric Rauda (Red): family, first difficulties
Not much information has been preserved about the childhood and youth of the discoverer. It is known that Eric the Red was born in Norway, near Stavanger, on the Jeren farm. His bright sunny hair color did not go unnoticed, soon he was assigned the nickname Red. In adolescence, he, along with his family, was forced to leave his homeland due to a blood quarrel between his father and neighbors. They sailed west and settled on the Hornstrandir Peninsula. At this time, migration to Iceland was already over, so they did not get the best land on the rocky shore.
When Eric the Red one matured, he tried to break free of poverty and constant need. After the death of his father, by hook or by crook, he moves to the south of Iceland and marries a girl from a wealthy family of the Haukadal County. It seemed that things went uphill: for the dowry of his wife, Eric was able to acquire a plot and equip the farm. However, the problems were not long in coming.
Hot blood
It should be noted that in fiction, Eric Red, like the other Vikings, has a somewhat ennobled image, but in fact his real life was a series of endless skirmishes, including bloodshed and robbery.
Having barely managed to get married, the future navigator was involved in a feud with a neighbor, whose estate was robbed by Eric's slaves. The conflict worsened when one of the relatives of the injured neighbor, not having endured resentment for the damage caused, killed Eric's people. But the young warrior did not remain in debt. He committed lynching and killed this relative and his friend. As a result of these actions, he was expelled from Haukadal County.
After the verdict, leaving the estate in a hurry, Eric the Red forgot to seize the family carved pillars, which were a sacred value for each family. Torgest (the owner of another neighboring farm) appropriated someone else's good, which subsequently served as the beginning of new troubles.
Exile
The following winter, a young Viking wandered with his family along the islands of Braidafjord County, transferring all the hardships of the life of exiles. With the onset of spring, he decides to return to Haukadal in order to pick up his patrimonial pillars and other property, in a hurry left by him. But an unclean neighbor categorically refused to give them away. Eric and his friends were forced to take refuge in a nearby forest, waiting for the time when he went somewhere on business or hunting. Seizing the moment, they made their way to the estate and returned the pillars, believing that the story would end there. However, in those harsh times, nothing was in vain for anyone. The attempt to return their property turned into yet another bloodshed. Torgest, having discovered the disappearance of the pillars, rushed in pursuit of Eric. In the brawl that arose, he lost his sons and adherents.
New deaths stirred up eminent families. They forced the heads of the districts Haukadal and Braidafjord to officially outlaw Eric Torvaldson (Red). Numerous supporters of Torgest in the spring of 981 took military action against the restless Norwegian. As a result, despite the support of friends, Eric was proclaimed an exile for a period of three years.
Land search
Sources tell us very little about the most landmark discovery of the Scandinavian navigator Eric the Red. It is known that, executing the verdict, he says goodbye to friends and decides to go in search of the land discovered earlier by the Norwegian Gunnbjorn, when his ship was thrown to the west by a storm. Taking the same course from the coast of Iceland, Eric moves between 65–66 ° north latitude, successfully using a fair wind. After four days of travel, he and his people found themselves on the east coast of an unknown land.
After a series of unsuccessful attempts to break through the ice to the coast, sailors moved along the coastline to the southwest. Contemplating the lifeless ice deserts and mountainous terrain, they approached the southern fjords, and from there went through the strait to the west coast. Here the ice cover began to recede gradually. Tired travelers landed on a small island, where they spent the winter.
Expedition 982
In the summer of 982, Eric Ryzhiy, with a small team, went on a reconnaissance expedition and found the coast to the west, cut up by many deep fjords. He enthusiastically noted places for future farms. Further (according to the modern Canadian prose writer F. Mowet), at some coastal peak, the discoverer noticed high mountains in a westerly direction. It is noteworthy that on fine days beyond the Davis Strait, it is quite possible to discern the icy peaks of Baffin Island.
Having crossed the strait, the Vikings reached the Cumberland Peninsula, where they were able to explore the highlands of the entire east coast. There they spent most of the summer fishing, hunting walruses, harvesting fat, collecting walrus bone and tusks of narwhals. In the future, it was the opening of the Westbürdir Wiester (“Western Desert Areas”) that would play a significant role in the difficult life of the Greenland colonists.
The southwest coast of Greenland
Based on the sources, in the summer of 983, Eric the Red headed from the Arctic Circle to the north, where he discovered the island and the Gulf of Disco, the Nugssuac and Svartenhuk peninsulas. He was able to get to Melville Bay (76 ° north latitude), thus exploring another 1,200 km of the west coast of Greenland. This region filled with beauties struck the Norwegian with an abundance of living creatures: polar bears, reindeers, arctic foxes, whales, walruses, eiders, gyrfalcons.
After persistent research, Eric found several suitable flat places in the southwest, relatively sheltered from the harsh winds of the north and having dense green vegetation in the summer. The contrast between the icy desert and this area was so impressive that the red-haired navigator named the coast "Green Land" (Greenland). Of course, this name did not correspond to a large island, in which only 15% of the territory is ice-free. Some chronicles state that Eric intended to attract his compatriots with a beautiful word in order to persuade them to relocate. However, the beautiful name was originally only related to the picturesque areas of the southwest coast and only in the 15th century became widespread on the whole island.
The first settlers of the "Green Land"
At the end of the established period of exile, Eric Ryzhy safely returned to Iceland (984) and began to convince local Scandinavians to resettle in a "blessed paradise." It should be noted that in those days Iceland was full of discontented people, many of whom were emigrants of recent streams. Such families readily responded to the call of the sailor to go to the "Green Land".
In June 985, according to the sagas about Eric the Red, 25 ships with immigrants on board sailed from the coast of Iceland, but only 14 of them were able to reach South Greenland. The ships got into a terrible storm, and some part, unable to cope with the elements, sank in the sea or was thrown back to Iceland by a storm.
On the western coast of the island, in the previously noted fjords, Eric and his compatriots formed two settlements - East and West. The reliability of the chronicles is confirmed by the results of archaeological finds that were discovered at the site of the organization of the estate of Eric the Red (now Kassiarsuk).
Life in a harsh land
The colonists settled on a narrow strip along the sea; it was pointless to move deeper into the island. Under the leadership of Eric, they settled in new places, mainly engaged in fishing and hunting. Their lands also had excellent pastures for livestock brought from Iceland. In the summer season, when the prevailing weather favored travel, a call was made among the male population to hunt in Disco Bay, which is beyond the Arctic Circle.
The Greenlanders did not break off ties with their homeland, because their life depended on this communication. They sent furs, blubber and walrus fangs there, and in return received iron, fabrics, bread and wood. It was because of the last resource on the island that great difficulties arose. Forests were sorely lacking. It was abundant on Labrador, located not far from Greenland, but swimming behind it in a harsh climate was almost impossible.
Family, Faith, and the Last Way
The biography of Eric Red does not give a detailed picture of his family life. There is an assumption that in his marriage he had three sons and a daughter. The first-born Leif adopted his father's craving for sea voyages. He became the first Viking to visit Vinland in North America, not far from present-day Newfoundland. Other sons also took an active part in various expeditions.
It is known that, having a difficult character, Eric often reproached his wife and his children for a priest brought to the island, who managed to baptize a large part of the adult population. The navigator himself remained faithful to the pagan gods, he treated Christianity with outright skepticism.
The discoverer of Greenland spent the last years of his life on the island. Sons called his father to sail, but shortly before sending the ship fell from his horse and saw this as a bad sign. Without tempting fate, Eric Torvaldson remained on land and died in the winter of 1003. Legends tell that people from all over the island flocked to Cape Geriulva to give him the last honors. The funeral procession descended to the sea, and on the Viking ship the ashes of Erik the Red were put to the stake, he made his last journey.