Leif Ericsson (photo below) is a famous Viking who traveled to America five centuries before Columbus. Only the navigator, unlike the Genoese, did not continue his research and almost did not populate that land. In the next 500 years, not a single European traveled to the Americas. In this article we will briefly talk about the travels of the Scandinavian and his relatives.
Leif Ericsson. What did he discover?
The question of whether Europeans visited America before Columbus has been debatable for a very long time. There are two sagas that describe the travels of Leif Ericsson and his brothers - “The Saga of Eric the Red” and “The Saga of the Greenlanders”. But both works were created in the XIII century, that is, two hundred years after the events described. Well, the narrative itself is a free retelling and interpretation of what happened. However, the mysterious Vinland discovered by the Vikings was mentioned by Adam Bremen (medieval chronicler). True, the latter described him from the words of the King of Denmark, Sven Estridsen.
Finally, the question became clear only after the discovery of Canadian archaeologists. On Labrador and Newfoundland, they discovered Viking campsites. After that, no one doubted that Leif Ericsson had discovered America before Columbus. Although according to the contents of the "Saga of the Greenland", the Viking was still the second number. Discoverer of America - Bjarni Hieryulfson.
At the end of the X century, he went to Greenland. Having lost track of the route, Bjarni saw the earth on the horizon. Hierjulfson did not go ashore, but, reaching Greenland, he told in detail about everything he saw to the neighbors. Leif Ericsson became interested in his story. The son of Eric Red, who founded the first southern Viking settlement in Greenland, quickly realized that most of this huge island is uninhabited. Moving north was risky and dangerous. On the other hand, there was a catastrophic lack of wood for building ships. But this did not stop the Viking.
Discovery of new lands
Leif Ericsson bought a ship from Bjarni. Then he assembled a team of 35 people and went west. Two days later, the Scandinavians discovered the shore, which was described by Hierülfson. Leif came up with the names of the places visited: Land of volcanoes (Helluland), Land of forests (Markland) and Grape land (Vinland). It is now reliably known which sections of Greenland were discovered by Ericsson. Markland is Labrador, and Helluland is Baffin Land. Only Vinland’s whereabouts are still debated. It was there that the Viking stopped for the winter, and then returned home.
Relatives Travel
After the discoveries of Ericsson, the Greenlands began to make plans for the settlement of new regions. Inspired by Leif's voyage, his brother Torvald set sail. He soon reached America and was able to establish a settlement there. But the colony did not last long. A year later, the Vikings faced aggression by the local population. The Indians killed almost all the inhabitants. Torvald himself died in the battle.
Leif's second brother, Thorstein, also set sail west. True, he never reached America. Apparently Torsteyn's ship turned south early. According to another version, the Viking sailed to the Hudson's Bay, and then lost his patience and came back. After that, relatives of Eric Red made two or three more campaigns, but could not gain a foothold on the continent.
Mysterious Vinland
Apparently, under this name is Newfoundland. The Viking camp on the island discovered by archaeologists clearly indicates that they were present there at the beginning of the 11th century. Only the name is misleading. Who visited the island, probably knows about a small amount of growing grapes. Therefore, many people believe that Leif Ericsson, whose biography is known to all Scandinavians, left Labrador for New England. And there are just a lot of wild grapes.
Experts question this theory. Leif was a very experienced navigator. He found what he was looking for, and would hardly have risked heading south. There are other versions of the origin of the name Vinland. One of them says that Leif Ericsson christened this land in a completely different way. Over time, the name was distorted, and in this form it was recognized by the Danish king Sven, who told all the chronicles to Adam of Bremen. According to another version, Vinland is an advertising name. Thus Ericsson tried to attract new settlers to the island. In favor of this theory is the fact that, after all, the same Greenland is not a green land at all, as its name implies.