The Vinland Sagas

The Vinland Sagas contain the oldest description of the North American continent and tell the story of several voyages undertaken by people from Iceland and Greenland to North America around the year 1000.

The pioneering voyage, after a chance discovery of lands south and west of Greenland by the Icelandic merchant Bjarni Herjolfsson, was conducted by Leif Eriksson to a land he named Vinland (Wineland). Later voyages were led by Leif’s brother Thorvald, by Thorfinn Karlsefni and Gudrid Thorbjarnadottir – they had the first child in America – Snorri, and final trip was by Leif’s half sister Freydis Eriksdottir.

Eirik the Red’s Saga is preserved in two vellum manuscripts, Hauksbok and Skalholtsbok. It exalts the memory of Thorfinn Karlsefni (descended from Aud (Uno) the Deep-minded, a Viking queen in Dublin and Kjarval, King of Ireland.

The Saga of Greenlanders is preserved as a part of a larger work about King Olaf Tryggvason in the vellum manuscript Flateyjarbok.

Many of the people who emigrated to Greenland and were active in the Vinland voyages were descended from settlers in the Breidafjord ares (west Iceland).

The Viking Age (800-1050). The start is the first attack by Norwegian seafarers on the monastery of Lindisfarne off the east coast of England in 793.

The North American continent was visited by Greenlanders and they named the territories they found, from north to south: Helluland (Slab-stone land), Markland (Forest land) and Vinland.

Strong doubts have sometimes been raised about the credibility of Icelandic writings from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries – The Book of the Icelanders (1122-32) by Ari the Learned and The Book of Settlements.

Voyages to Vinland in the Sagas (from around 999 to 1006-1011):

Bjarni Herjolfsson sights unknown lands to the south and west of Greenland.
Leif the Luck, son of Erik the Red, becomes the first European to explore these lands and give names to locations, from north to south.
Thorvald, son of Eirik the Red, lead an expedition to Vinland.
Thorstein, son of Eirik the Red, tries to find Vinland but fails and dies in Lysufjord, leaving Gudrid Thorbjanardottir as a widow.
Thorifinn Karlsefni and Gudrid Thorbjarnardottir lead the first attempt to settle in the New World, during which they have the first European child born in America, Snorri.
Freydis, daughter of Eirike the Red, leads a disastrous expedition.
Thorfinn Karlsefni and Gudrid Thorbjarnardottir die in Skagafjord, Iceland.

Eirik the Red’s Saga

Leif is instructed by King Olaf of Norway to convert Greenland to Christianity.

Thorstein and Gudrid are married.

Karlsefni and Gudrid’s voyage.

Stay in Stream Fjord.

Meeting and battle with natives in Hop

The Saga of the Greenlanders

Leif finds Helluland, Markland and Vinland.

Thorvald is fatally wounded by an arrow and is buried on a point in land called Krossanes.

Thorstein and Gudrid are married.

Karlsefni and Gudrid’s voyage.

Stay in Stream Fjord.

Meeting and battle with natives in Hop

Archaeology

The remains of buildings at L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, which were discovered in the early 1960s by Helge and Anna Ingstad. These buildings were of the same character as Viking Age buildings in Iceland and Greenland, and thus provided the first concrete proof of Scandinavian visitors to North America.

The earliest written reference to Vinland occurs in Adam of Bremen’s History of Archbishops of Hamburg from around 1075. He cities information that he received in 1068 or 1069 from the Danish king Svein Ulfsson.

The likely location of Leif’s Vinland can be narrowed down to Prince Edward Island and the southern shores of the Gulf of St Lawrence.

The Saga of Greenlanders

Herjolf was the son of Bard Herjolfsson. He farmed at Drepstokk. He decided to accompany Eirik to Greenland. He had a son Bjarni. Bjarni found a land, that was not Greenland. He than sailed to Eirik.

Leif, the son of Eirik bought the ship from Bjarni. He took with him 35 companions on his journey.

They found land that was good for farming and had grapes and grapevines. The land was called Vinland.

Leif save the people that had issues with their ship. They were Thorir and his wife Gudrid and 15 other. He was called Leif the Lucky from that moment forward.

Thorir died due to illness.

That year Eirik also died.

Thorvald was the next to travel to Vinland.

Greenland had been converted to Christianity by that time, although Eirik the Red had died before the conversion.

Thorstein Eirikson married to Gudrid Thorbjarnardottir. He wished to sail to Vinland to retrieve his brother’s Thorvald’s body.

Another Thorstein was Thorstein the Black. Thorstein Eirikson died and so did the wife of other Thorstein (the Black).

Gudrid went to stay with Leif at Brattahlid, and Thorstein the Black built a farm in Eiriksfjord where he stayed as long as he lived.

That same summer a ship from Norway arrived in Greenland. Thorfinn Karlsefni was on it. He asked Leif for the houses in Vinland and Leif said he would lend them to him. He also asked Gudrid to marry him.

Karlsefni went to America with Gudrid. There they fought with the natives. One of the natives actually killed his compatriot with an axe he took from Greenlanders. They went back to Greenland and then to Norway.

Next trip was done by Fredys. Here trip was a catastrophe. She killed people that went with her on the trip and when they came back Leif said that he will not punish her.

Snorri had a son named Thorigeir, who was the father of Yngvel, the mother of Bishop Brand, Snorri Karlsefnisson’s daughter Hallfrid was the wife of Runolf, the father of Bishop Thorlak. Bjorn, another son of Karlsefni and Gudrid, was the father of Thorunn, the mother of Bishop Bjorn.

Eirik the Red’s Saga

Oleif the White went on Viking expeditions around Britain. He declared him self a king in Dublin. His wife was Aud the Deep-minded. Their son was named Thorstein the Red.

Aud and Thorstein went to the Hebrides. There Thorstein married Thurid.

Aud set out for Iceland.

Eirik and his father Thorvald went to Iceland from Jaeren because they were involved in slayings.

Eirik sailed from Iceland and approached land in Greenland under the glacier called Hvitserk.

Leif tried to go to America, but due to bad winds ended up in Hebrides. He fall in love with a woman named Thorgunna. They had a boy named Thorgils.

Leif became one of King’s man. King Olaf Tryggvason. He converted Greenland to Christianity.

A named Thorvard was married to Freydis, who was an illegitimate daughter of Eirik the Red. He went with them, along with Thorvald, Eirik’s son, and Thorhall who was called the Huntsman.

During a trip to America Karlsefni adventure found a beached whale.