Leif Eriksson - Viking, who discovered America before Columbus

Leif Eriksson (photo below) - the famous Viking, who visited America for five centuries before Columbus. Only the navigator, unlike the Genoese, did not continue his studies and almost did not settle that land. In the next 500 years, no European has ever visited the American continent. In this article, we will briefly describe the travel of the Scandinavian and his relatives.

Leif Eriksson. What did he discover?

The question of whether Europeans visited America before Columbus, for a long time was debatable. There are two sagas in which the travels of Leif Eriksson and his brothers - "The Saga of Eric the Red" and "The Saga of the Greenlanders" are described. 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, who discovered the Vikings, was mentioned by Adam Bremen (medieval chronicler). True, the latter described it from the words of the King of Denmark Sven Estridsen.

Finally, the question became clear only after the discovery of Canadian archaeologists. On the Labrador and Newfoundland, they discovered the places of the Viking sites. After that, no one doubted that Leif Eriksson had discovered America before Columbus. Although if you believe the content of the "Saga of the Grenadians", then the Viking was still the second number. The discoverer of America is Bjarni Hieriulfson.

At the end of the tenth century, he went to Greenland. Having lost his way on the route, Bjarni saw the earth on the horizon. Hieriulfson did not go ashore, but when he got to Greenland, he told in detail about all the neighbors he had seen. Leif Eriksson became interested in his story. The son of Eric the Red, who founded the first southern Viking settlement in Greenland, quickly realized that most of this huge island was uninhabited. Advancing to the north was a risky and dangerous business. On the other hand, there was a catastrophic lack of wood for building ships. But this did not stop the Viking.

The discovery of new lands

Leif Eriksson bought the ship from Bjarni. Then he assembled a team of 35 people and went west. Two days later the Scandinavians discovered the shore, about which Hieriulfson was telling. Visiting the places Leif came up with the names: Land volcanoes (Helluland), Land of forests (Marclund) and Grape land (Winland). Now it is already known which parts of Greenland were discovered by Eriksson. Markland is Labrador, and Helluland is Baffin's Land. Only the whereabouts of Winland are still disputes. It was there that the Viking stopped for the winter, and then returned home.

Travel of relatives

After the discoveries of Ericsson, the Greenlanders began to make plans for the settlement of new regions. Inspired by the journey of Leif, his brother Torvald set out on a voyage. Soon he reached America and was able to found a settlement there. But the colony did not last long. A year later, the Vikings encountered the aggression of the local population. Indians killed almost all residents. Torvald himself was killed in battle.

The second brother of Leif - Thorstein - also went on a voyage to the west. True, he never reached America. Apparently, the ship of Thorstein turned early to the south. According to another version, the Viking swam to the Hudson Bay, and then lost patience and went back. After this, the relatives of Eric the Red made two or three more hikes, but could not gain a foothold on the continent.

Mysterious Winnand

Apparently, this name hides Newfoundland. The archaeological site of the Vikings on the island clearly indicates that they were present there at the beginning of the eleventh 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 Eriksson, whose biography is known to all Scandinavians, left Labrador for New England. And there is very much a lot of wild grapes.

Experts question this theory. Leif was a very experienced seafarer. He found what he was looking for, and would hardly have risked going to the south. There are other versions of the origin of the name Vinland. One of them says that Leif Eriksson dubbed this land quite differently. 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 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, says the fact that in fact the same Greenland - it's not green land, as its name implies.