Norwegian explorer
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External Websites
- Chemistry LibreTexts - Saga of Erik The Red
- Academia - Was Erik the Red's Brattahlid located at Qinngua?: a dissenting view
- The Canadian Encyclopedia - Erik the Red
- The Mariner's Museum - Ages of Exploration - Biography of Erik the Red
- Warfare History Network - Viking Father and Son: Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson
- Ancient Origins - From Exile to Exploration: The Saga of Erik the Red
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- Erik the Red - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
- Erik the Red - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
- Chemistry LibreTexts - Saga of Erik The Red
- Academia - Was Erik the Red's Brattahlid located at Qinngua?: a dissenting view
- The Canadian Encyclopedia - Erik the Red
- The Mariner's Museum - Ages of Exploration - Biography of Erik the Red
- Warfare History Network - Viking Father and Son: Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson
- Ancient Origins - From Exile to Exploration: The Saga of Erik the Red
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- Erik the Red - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
- Erik the Red - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Also known as: Eirik Raude, Eirik Torvaldsson, Erik Thorvaldson
Written by
Birgitta Wallace
Fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
Erik the Red
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- Byname of:
- Erik Thorvaldsson
- Old Norse:
- Eirik Rauð
- Icelandic:
- Eiríkur Rauði
- Flourished:
- 10th century, Norway?
- Flourished:
- c.951 - c.1000
- Notable Family Members:
- son Leif Erikson
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Erik the Red (flourished 10th century, Norway?) was the founder of the first European settlement on Greenland (c. 985) and the father of Leif Erikson, one of the first Europeans to reach North America.
According to the Icelanders’ sagas, Erik left his native Norway for western Iceland with his father, Thorvald, who had been exiled for manslaughter. When Erik—who had been nicknamed “Erik the Red” during his youth because of his red hair—was similarly exiled from Iceland about 980, he decided to explore land to the west (Greenland). Leaving in about 982 from Snæfellsjökull, one of the westernmost points of Iceland, Erik and a small group of men reached land on the opposite shore of Greenland, a land that had been skirted by the Norwegian Gunnbjörn Ulfsson earlier in the 10th century. The party rounded the southern tip of Greenland and settled on an island at the mouth of Eriksfjord (now known as Tunulliarfik Fjord) near Qaqortoq (formerly Julianehåb). From there they explored the west and north for two years, bestowing place-names everywhere (a form of establishing personal control). Erik chose the inner area of Eriksfjord for his manor house, which he called Brattahlid (“Steep Slope”). He named the country Greenland in the belief that a good name would attract settlers.
Britannica QuizExploration and DiscoveryErik returned to Iceland in 985 or 986. His descriptions of the new territory persuaded many people to follow him to found a new colony in Greenland. Of the 25 ships that sailed from Iceland, only 14 ships are believed to have landed safely at an area later known as Eystribygd (“Eastern Settlement”). Initially there were 400 to 500 settlers in the colony, which never grew to more than 2,000 to 3,000 inhabitants. Erik’s colony, commemorated in Eiríks Saga Rauða (“Erik the Red’s Saga”) and Grænlendinga Saga (“Saga of the Greenlanders”), maintained contacts with Europe until the mid-15th century, by which time it had gradually died out.
Birgitta Wallace