The Vikings and Leif Eriksson Pgs. 119-120, Wb. 15

Who were the Vikings? A culture originating in Norway, Denmark and Sweden. The Vikings were fierce conquerors, brave explorers, and skilled craftspeople; they invaded and settled countries throughout Western Europe. They were the first Europeans to discover America (in about AD 1000), almost 500 years before Columbus.

Stories of an Unknown Land For a very long time, people had told stories about an unknown land between Europe and Asia. No one knew for sure if stories of a New World could be true. These stories began a new era called the Age of Exploration.

Leif Eriksson – 975-1020 Leif Eriksson was the son of Eric the Red, who started the first European settlement of Greenland in 985. He was born in Iceland around 975. Leif was a leader of Viking expeditions and may have been the first European to reach North America.

Two Versions of the Same Story In the year 1000, Leif sailed to Norway, which is where his family had originally come from. While he was there, he became a Christian and planned to return to Greenland to teach the Vikings about Christianity. As Leif sailed back to Greenland, he was blown off course and ended up in North America instead of Greenland.

Two Versions of the Same Story A second story says that another Viking had already been to North America. Leif wanted to retrace the route. So he sailed to North America, but not by mistake. He landed in a place he called Vinland. This was probably part of Canada now called Newfoundland.

A Viking Long Ship Viking long ships could travel rough, open seas. A long ship could be as long as 75 feet and could carry up to 35 people.