Humanities › History & Culture Erik the Red: Bold Scandinavian Explorer Print Public Domain History & Culture Medieval & Renaissance History People & Events Daily Life American History African American History African History Ancient History and Culture Asian History European History Genealogy Inventions Latin American History Military History The 20th Century Women's History View More By Melissa Snell Melissa Snell History Expert B.A., History, University of Texas at Austin Melissa Snell is a historical researcher and writer specializing in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. She authored the forward for "The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Crusades." Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on March 31, 2019 Erik Thorvaldson (also spelled Eric or Eirik Torvaldsson; in Norwegian, Eirik Raude). As the son of Thorvald, he was known as Erik Thorvaldson until he was dubbed "the Red" for his red hair. Notable Accomplishment Founding the first European settlement on Greenland. Occupations LeaderExplorer Places of Residence and Influence Read More Leif Erikson: First European in North America By Patti Wigington Scandinavia Important Dates Born: c. 950 Died: 1003 Biography Much of what scholars understand about Erik's life comes from Eirik the Red's Saga, an epic tale written by an unknown author in the mid-13th century. Erik was born in Norway to a man named Thorvald and his wife and was thus known as Erik Thorvaldsson. He was given the name "Erik the Red" because of his red hair; although later sources attribute the moniker to his fiery temper, there is no clear evidence of this. When Erik was still a child, his father was convicted of manslaughter and exiled from Norway. Thorvald went to Iceland and took Erik with him. Thorvald and his son lived in western Iceland. Not long after Thorvald died, Erik married a woman named Thjodhild, whose father, Jorund, may have provided the land that Erik and his bride settled on in Haukadale (Hawkdale). It was while he was living at this homestead, which Erik named Eriksstadr (Erik's farm), that his thralls (servants) caused a landslide that damaged the farm belonging to his neighbor Valthjof. A kinsman of Valthjof, Eyjolf the Foul, killed the thralls. In retaliation, Erik killed Eyjolf and at least one other man. Rather than escalate a blood feud, Eyjolf's family instituted legal proceedings against Erik for these killings. Erik was found guilty of manslaughter and banished from Hawkdale. He then took up residence further north (according to Eirik's Saga, "He occupied then Brokey and Eyxney, and dwelt at Tradir, in Sudrey, the first winter.") While building a new homestead, Erik lent what were apparently valuable pillars for seat-stocks to his neighbor, Thorgest. When he was ready to claim their return, Thorgest refused to give them up. Erik took possession of the pillars himself, and Thorgest gave chase; fighting ensued, and several men were killed, including two sons of Thorgest. Once again legal proceedings took place, and once again Erik was banished from his home for manslaughter. Frustrated with these legal wranglings, Erik turned his eyes westward. The edges of what turned out to be an enormous island were visible from the mountaintops of western Iceland, and the Norwegian Gunnbjörn Ulfsson had sailed near the island some years earlier, though if he'd made landfall it's not recorded. There was no doubt that there was some kind of land there, and Erik determined to explore it himself and determine whether or not it could be settled. He set sail with his household and some livestock in 982. The direct approach to the island was unsuccessful, due to drift ice, so Erik's party continued on around the southern tip until they came to present-day Julianehab. According to Eirik's Saga, the expedition spent three years on the island; Erik roved far and wide and named all the places he came to. They didn't encounter any other people. They then went back to Iceland to convince others to return to the land and establish a settlement. Erik called the place Greenland because, he said, "men will desire much the more to go there if the land has a good name." Erik succeeded in convincing many colonists to join him on a second expedition. 25 ships set sail, but only 14 ships and about 350 people landed safely. They did establish a settlement, and by about the year 1000 there were approximately 1,000 Scandinavian colonists there. Unfortunately, an epidemic in 1002 reduced their number considerably, and eventually, Erik's colony died out. However, other Norse settlements would survive until the 1400s, when communications mysteriously ceased for more than a century. Erik's son Leif would lead an expedition to America around the turn of the millennium. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Snell, Melissa. "Erik the Red: Bold Scandinavian Explorer." ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/erik-the-red-1788829. Snell, Melissa. (2021, February 16). Erik the Red: Bold Scandinavian Explorer. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/erik-the-red-1788829 Snell, Melissa. "Erik the Red: Bold Scandinavian Explorer." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/erik-the-red-1788829 (accessed April 19, 2024). copy citation