Erik the Red

Erik the Red was married to Þjóðhildr (Thjodhildr) and had four children: one daughter and three sons. His son Leif Eiríksson also became a famous explorer later on.

He died c. 1003, a victim of the epidemic that annihilated a vast majority of the settlers in Greenland.

He was born as Eiríkr Þorvaldsson (also called Erik Thorvaldsson) in the Jæren district of Rogaland, Norway, around 950. His father’s name was Þorvald Ásvaldsson (also called Thorvald Asvaldsson).

Thorvald was exiled from Norway c. 960, during the reign of King Harald Fairhair, for having killed some people. Erik was just a young boy at the time of this incident.

The father took along the family and sailed West from Norway, finally settling in Hornstrandir in northwestern Iceland. Thorvald died some time before 980.

Erik grew up to be an adventurous and hot-tempered young man who gained the nickname “Erik the Red” because of his red hair, red beard, and also his red-hot temper.

He allegedly killed some people around the year 982 and was banished from Iceland for three years, just like the way his father had been exiled from Norway years ago.

While on exile he decided to embark on an expedition and explore new lands. He set off with a small group of men from Snæfellsjökull, one of the westernmost points of Iceland, around 982 and reached land on the opposite shore of what was then a little-known landmass.

His men rounded the southern tip of the island and arrived at an island at the mouth of Eriksfjord (now known as Tunulliarfik Fjord) near Qaqortoq (formerly Julianehåb). Erik spent the next two years exploring the west and north, and also assigned names to the places he visited.

He named the country “Greenland” as many parts of the land seemed ice-free and had conditions conducive to future growth and development. Over the course of his exploration he spent the first winter on the island of Eiriksey and the second winter in Eiriksholmar (close to Hvarfsgnipa). He explored as far north as Snaefell and into Hrafnsfjord during the final summer of his stay.

Erik the Red is remembered as the one who founded the first Norse settlement in Greenland. The Icelandic sagas suggest that Norsemen before him had already discovered Greenland but their attempts to colonize the region were not successful. Thus Erik is credited to be the first permanent European settler in Greenland who was successful in establishing a settlement.