I. M. Esperto
10th Oct 2001, 01:16
The following is an excellent and informative article from the women
of SIGRDRIFA Publishing. We felt our WF subscribers would enjoy
reading this article as well. -- The Women's Frontier
***********************************
Leif Eriksson was the first, and most well known, European to
discover Vinland (present day Canada/USA), approximately 500 years
before Christopher Columbus did.
Inspired by Richard Kemp, SIGRDRIFA Publications is doing
their part to promote Leif Eriksson Day and our Nordic Heritage. We
have been distributing an information package, as well as stickers,
to help inform, support and endorse this important day.
Leif Eriksson Day, October 9th, is a publicly recognized
holiday. We must do what we can to make this day as common as St.
Patrick's Day to the Irish, and Cinco de Mayo to the Mexicans. We owe
it to our Nordic Ancestors!
October 9th marks Leif Eriksson Day! Celebrate our Nordic
Heritage!
We hope you enjoy the following information, which gives a
look into the history of Leif Eriksson and the day we celebrate his
contributions to our Culture and Heritage!
Honour Leif Eriksson! Honour Nordic Heritage!
Proud of our people, Proud of our past!
The Women Of SIGRDRIFA Publications
www.sigrdrifa.net (http://www.sigrdrifa.net)
The PREMIER Voice of the Proud White Woman!
—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—
The Background of Leif Eriksson Day
The significance of October 9th to Scandinavians in North America is
that this is the date in 1825 that the first organized shipload of
immigrants from Norway landed in New York City aboard the
sloop "Restauration". Since no exact date can be established for the
Viking landings on the North American continent around the year 1000
as described in Icelandic and Norwegian Sagas, October 9th was chosen
as the day to honor the Viking explorer Leif Eriksson and the
Scandinavians that followed and settled in the United States and
Canada.
In 1872, Professor Rasmus B. Anderson proposed to the famous
Norwegian violinist, Ole Bull, then residing in Madison, Wisconsin,
that a monument be erected and a day designated to annually honor
Leif Eriksson. On December 8, 1876, Ole Bull held a concert in
Boston, Massachusetts. It is said that with the help of Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow, who included references to the Vikings in some
of his writings, a committee was formed and a Leif Erikson statue was
erected in Boston.
In 1893, an exact replica of the Gokstad Viking Ship (circa 875) was
built and sailed from Norway to the Chicago Columbian Exposition
World's Fair as proof that the Atlantic crossing could be made by the
Vikings.
Norway celebrated Leif Eriksson Day on October 9, 1928. In 1929, the
State of Wisconsin passed a law designating October 9th as Leif
Erikson Day annually. In 1930, on the one-thousandth anniversary of
the Althing, the United States gave to the people of Iceland a statue
of "Leifr Eiriksson".
Over the years, various postage stamps and medals have been issued to
commemorate Leif Eriksson and the Vikings. During the Norse-American
Centennial, 1825-1925 a Commemorative Centennial medal was authorized
by Congress and a limited 40,000 were minted. Never before in the
history of the United States had the U.S. Congress authorized the
striking of a medal commemorating an event in history, and never
before had the Post Office Department issued commemorative stamps in
two colors. In 1925, two Norse-American Centennial postage stamps
were issued, each in two colors. A two-cent denomination in red and
black had a design of the sloop "Restauration" and a five-cent
denomination in blue and black had a design showing a Viking
chieftain setting foot on American soil, with a Viking ship in the
background, and bears the inscription: "Norse-American Centennial,
1825-1925". On the reverse is shown a Viking ship under full sail and
underneath it appears the inscription "A.D. 1000, Au!
thorized by Congress of the U.S. of A." On October 9, 1968, a six-
cent stamp was issued honoring the Norse explored, Leif Erikson. It
depicts the statue of him which stands in Reykjavik, Iceland.
In 1959 a national committee was formed to petition the U.S. Congress
for an annual Presidential Proclamation for Leif Erikson Day. With
the help of former Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, a bill was
passed by the U.S. Congress in 1964 designating October 9th as Leif
Erikson Day (LED) annually (78 STAT. 849, U.S.C. 169C). In 1969 a
committee comprised of Hartford Lodge, Sons of Norway members and
legislative for the Governor of the State of Connecticut to annually
proclaim LED. Connecticut House Bill No. 7155, Public Act No. 151,
states in part: "Leif Erikson Day shall be suitably observed in all
public schools of the State as a day of commemoration of the
Scandinavian peoples and their culture and the great contribution
they have made to this country in the past and are now making, and
also as a tribute to the gallant explorations of the Vikings."
It should be noted that there have been many variations in the
spelling of this famous Viking's name. Leif was the son of Erik the
Red who had been expelled from Norway and settled in Iceland. The
Icelandic language and the spelling of Leif's name dates back to the
Viking era is "Leifr Eirikson." The spelling chosen by the U.S.
Congress is "Leif Erikson", which is a variation closest to the
original Icelandic (and probably the most authentic) version. It is
said that the letter "c" was a much later import from the Latin
alphabet, and therefore would not have been used in his name.
--Contributed by: A. Norman Arntzen- Hartford Lodge 474
—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—
Leif Eriksson
Discoverer Of America
(Embassy of Iceland - Updated June 1997)
"The country which is called Greenland was discovered and settled
from Iceland. Eric the Red was the name of a man from Breidafjord who
went there from here and took possession of land in the place which
has since been called Ericsfjord. He named the country Greenland, and
said it would make people want to go there if the country had a good
name. There, both in the East and the West, they found human
habitations and fragments of skin boats and stone implements, from
which it was evident that the same kind of people had been there as
lived in Wineland and whom the Greenlanders call Skraelingjar. He
began settlement in the country 14 or 15 years before Christianity
came to Iceland, according to what a man who himself had gone there
with Eric the Red told Thorkell Gellisson in Greenland."
This extract from the Book of the Icelanders by Ari the Learned (1067-
1148) is completely reliable, though tantalizingly brief. He could be
sure that his readers knew about Wineland, and so wasted no words on
the story of its discovery and the early attempts that were made to
settle there.
The Book of Settlements contains more about Eric the Red, the father
of Leif Ericsson. Eric's father had fled from Norway because he had
slain men, and settled in Iceland. Eric established a farm at
Erisstadir in the west of Iceland and also lived for a short time on
Oexney and Sudurey, two of the islands off the West coast. Like his
father, he also became involved in slayings, and was eventually
sentenced to three years' outlawry and exile. Eric sailed to
Greenland and spent the three years exploring both the East and West
coasts. After a year in Iceland, he then moved permanently to
Greenland in either 985 or 986. The same summer, 25 ships set out for
Greenland, of which only 14 made the crossing. This was the beginning
of the Icelandic settlement of the country, a settlement which
flourished for some centuries.
The discovery of Wineland the Good and other lands on the eastern
coast of North America is recorded at greater length in two mediaeval
Iceland sagas, the Saga of Eric the Red and the Saga of the
Greenlanders. These were probably written around or soon after the
year 1200, just over two centuries after the events they record. Of
course it is likely that many details in them were distorted or
altered in the time during which they were handed down orally, but
these two sagas contain a central body of facts in common, including
most of the characters, the new lands in the west, and many of the
main events.
Leif was Eric's eldest child, probably born at Ericsstadir about 970-
980. As a child he moved with his parents to Greenland and grew up on
the farm at Brattahlid. Following the custom common among the sons of
prominent Icelandic families of the time, he made a voyage to Norway
as a young man. According to the account in the Saga of Eric the Red,
his ship was blown to the Hebrides and he spent most of a summer
there, during which time he begot a child with a woman named
Thorgunna. He arrived in Norway in the autumn. The king of Norway at
the time was Olafur Tryggvason (who ruled 995-1000), and he made
great efforts to convert Norway and the countries which had been
settled from it to Christianity. Leif met the king, was converted,
and spent the winter with him. In the spring the king sent him to
Greenland to spread Christianity, and sent two men to Iceland for the
same purpose, who succeeded in getting the Icelanders to adopt
Christianity at the Althingi in the summer.
Leif was driven off course in this voyage, and found lands whose
existence he had not previously known of. In one place there were
fields of self-sown wheat and grapevines. Leif named the country
Wineland. On the way back to Greenland he found men on a wrecked ship
and rescued them, after which he made his way to his father's home in
Brattahlid. This took place in the year 1000 according to Snorri
Sturluson's Heimskringla.
Leif brought a priest with him from Norway, and set about spreading
the new religion in Greenland. The saga says that Eric was reluctant
to have anything to do with it, but his wife Thjodhildur was
converted immediately and had a church built at some distance from
the farm buildings. The settlers in Greenland were probably all
converted very quickly, since no heathen graves have been found
there. A cathedral and bishopric were built later in Gardar in the
next fjord.
Soon after Leif's return to Greenland, an expedition was mounted to
explore the lands he had found. The explorers came first to a flat
and stony land which they named Flat-Stone Land. Then they sailed
further south and found another piece of land which was level and
wooded, and they named this Forest Land. Then they sailed a long way
south and reached a country where there were grapevines and self-won
wheat. Flat-Stone Land was probably Baffin Island, while Forest Land
was possibly part of Labrador. Archeological remains left by Norsemen
in the Viking Age have been discovered on the northern tip of
Newfoundland. They are probably the remains of wintering quarters, a
staging-point on the way between Greenland and Wineland. From the
descriptions in the sagas and from the objects found in Newfoundland
it seems plain that Wineland was considerably further south, probably
to the south of Gulf of St. Lawrence in what is now New Brunswick.
The Saga of Greenlanders tells how Bjarni Herjolfsson, the son of a
settler in Greenland, was the first to see the new countries when he
lost his course in fog while sailing to Greenland, and how Leif
Ericsson later explored them and gave them their names. It is
impossible to say now which version is correct, but if the two sagas
are given equal weight then the conclusion is that both men were the
discoverers, but Leif retains the credit for exploring the new lands
and giving them their names according to their characteristics.
Attempts were later made to settle in Wineland. A man from Skagafjord
in northern Iceland, Thorfinnur Karlsefni, led a large expedition in
the early 11th century. According to the Saga of Greenlanders, there
were sixty men and five women on his ship, including his wife
Gudridur. Thorfinnur had all sorts of livestock with him, since he
intended to settle in the new country. He got Leif's permission to
use the houses Leif had built in Wineland and stayed there with his
men for three years, but was driven away following violent clashed
with the Skraelingjar. During the first autumn in Leif's house in
Wineland, Snorri, the son of Thorfinnur and Gudridur was born, and he
is the first European recorded in history as being born on the
American continent. After a short time in Greenland, Thorfinnur and
Gudridur went back to Iceland and settled at Reynines in the North.
"Gudridur was a very exceptional woman" says the Saga of Eric the
Red, and the Saga of the Greenlanders says that after Thorfinnur's
death she made a pilgrimage to Rome, returned to Iceland to live with
her son, finally becoming a nun and a recluse in her old age.
Very little is known about Leif's later life. He was the most
prominent person in Greenland after the death of his father, and he
lived at Brattahlid. It is not known when he died, but his son
Thorkell is on record as the master of Brattahlid in about 1025, so
that he presumably died before then.
Leif's determination and nobility of spirit are well attested in the
two Wineland sagas, albeit in tersely-worded passages. "Leif became
wealthy and well respected" says the Saga of the Greenlanders. After
the rescue of the shipwrecked men, the Saga of Eric the Red
reads: "In this, as in many other things, he showed the greatest
nobility and goodness ... and after this he was always called Leif
the Lucky".
By Mr. Jonas Kristjansson,
Director of Arni Magnusson Institute in Reykjavik.
(Manuscript Institute)
Translation: Jeffrey Cosser. http://www.iceland.org/leifur.html
—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Every October, we celebrate Leif Erikson Day and honor the memory of
that great Norse explorer who first set foot on North American soil
nearly a millennium ago. At a time when mankind has traveled from
pole to pole and even journeyed into the vast reaches of space, Leif
Erikson's bold determination stands as an early example of the spirit
of adventure and enterprise.
This day is an occasion to celebrate the bonds of friendship that
link the United States to the Nordic countries. For generations,
Iceland and her neighbors have acted as bridges between Europe and
North America, playing a vital role in fostering democracy and free
trade throughout the world. Nordic peoples have long shared America's
love of liberty and have always reached out to those who struggle
against oppression. Today, we in the United States are proud to work
with our Northern friends to truly re-integrate the Baltic states of
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Western family of nations.
Together we look forward to a new Europe, united by a common respect
for liberty and equality.
We should also mark this observance by recognizing the outstanding
contributions that citizens of Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian,
and Swedish descent have made to our country. Just as their ancestors
did before them, Nordic Americans cherish their ties across the ocean
and bring their many gifts to America's culture, progress, and
prosperity. As we remember Leif Erikson, whose voyage preceded so
many rugged immigrants who braved the North Atlantic in search of
economic, political, and religious liberties, let us pay tribute to
his courage and renew our commitment to freedom.
In honor of Leif Erikson of Iceland, grandson of Norway the Congress
by joint resolution approved on September 2, 1964 (Public Law 88-
566), has authorized and requested the President to designate October
9 of each year as "Leif Erikson Day."
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States
of America, do hereby proclaim October 9, 1995, as Leif Erikson Day.
I encourage the people of the United States to observe this occasion
with appropriate ceremonies and activities commemorating our rich
Nordic American heritage.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of
October. in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-five,
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twentieth.
SIGNED: William J. Clinton
—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES!!!
Spirit of Leif http://www.leif1000.net/
An educational website about Leif Eriksson featuring history and
language, texts to be used as lessons, resources and more!
Leif Ericson Vikingship http://www.libertynet.org/~viking/#mission
Interesting website about a non-profit organization promoting Leif
Ericson.
L'Anse aux Meadows http://www.parcscanada.gc.ca/parks/newfoundland/anse_meadows/anse_mead
ows_e.htm
Website from Parks Canada about L'Anse aux Meadows, national historic
site of Canada, where they have reconstructed three Norse buildings
in what is the earliest known European settlement in the New World.
Viking Heritage Database http://viking.hgo.se/
Almost everything you could possibly want to know about Viking
Heritage!
—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES - JUST FOR KIDS!!!
Carmen Sandiego Case 3 – Vikings in Vinland 1002 http://www.carmensandiego.com/products/time/vikingsc03/main_c03.html
Leif Eriksson and the Vikings are stranded on the shores of
North America. It's up to you to help recapture their stolen Viking
ship!
The Viking Discovery http://www.icelandnaturally.com/leap/main.html
Interactive website featuring movies, games, history information and
more!
—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—
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:)
of SIGRDRIFA Publishing. We felt our WF subscribers would enjoy
reading this article as well. -- The Women's Frontier
***********************************
Leif Eriksson was the first, and most well known, European to
discover Vinland (present day Canada/USA), approximately 500 years
before Christopher Columbus did.
Inspired by Richard Kemp, SIGRDRIFA Publications is doing
their part to promote Leif Eriksson Day and our Nordic Heritage. We
have been distributing an information package, as well as stickers,
to help inform, support and endorse this important day.
Leif Eriksson Day, October 9th, is a publicly recognized
holiday. We must do what we can to make this day as common as St.
Patrick's Day to the Irish, and Cinco de Mayo to the Mexicans. We owe
it to our Nordic Ancestors!
October 9th marks Leif Eriksson Day! Celebrate our Nordic
Heritage!
We hope you enjoy the following information, which gives a
look into the history of Leif Eriksson and the day we celebrate his
contributions to our Culture and Heritage!
Honour Leif Eriksson! Honour Nordic Heritage!
Proud of our people, Proud of our past!
The Women Of SIGRDRIFA Publications
www.sigrdrifa.net (http://www.sigrdrifa.net)
The PREMIER Voice of the Proud White Woman!
—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—
The Background of Leif Eriksson Day
The significance of October 9th to Scandinavians in North America is
that this is the date in 1825 that the first organized shipload of
immigrants from Norway landed in New York City aboard the
sloop "Restauration". Since no exact date can be established for the
Viking landings on the North American continent around the year 1000
as described in Icelandic and Norwegian Sagas, October 9th was chosen
as the day to honor the Viking explorer Leif Eriksson and the
Scandinavians that followed and settled in the United States and
Canada.
In 1872, Professor Rasmus B. Anderson proposed to the famous
Norwegian violinist, Ole Bull, then residing in Madison, Wisconsin,
that a monument be erected and a day designated to annually honor
Leif Eriksson. On December 8, 1876, Ole Bull held a concert in
Boston, Massachusetts. It is said that with the help of Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow, who included references to the Vikings in some
of his writings, a committee was formed and a Leif Erikson statue was
erected in Boston.
In 1893, an exact replica of the Gokstad Viking Ship (circa 875) was
built and sailed from Norway to the Chicago Columbian Exposition
World's Fair as proof that the Atlantic crossing could be made by the
Vikings.
Norway celebrated Leif Eriksson Day on October 9, 1928. In 1929, the
State of Wisconsin passed a law designating October 9th as Leif
Erikson Day annually. In 1930, on the one-thousandth anniversary of
the Althing, the United States gave to the people of Iceland a statue
of "Leifr Eiriksson".
Over the years, various postage stamps and medals have been issued to
commemorate Leif Eriksson and the Vikings. During the Norse-American
Centennial, 1825-1925 a Commemorative Centennial medal was authorized
by Congress and a limited 40,000 were minted. Never before in the
history of the United States had the U.S. Congress authorized the
striking of a medal commemorating an event in history, and never
before had the Post Office Department issued commemorative stamps in
two colors. In 1925, two Norse-American Centennial postage stamps
were issued, each in two colors. A two-cent denomination in red and
black had a design of the sloop "Restauration" and a five-cent
denomination in blue and black had a design showing a Viking
chieftain setting foot on American soil, with a Viking ship in the
background, and bears the inscription: "Norse-American Centennial,
1825-1925". On the reverse is shown a Viking ship under full sail and
underneath it appears the inscription "A.D. 1000, Au!
thorized by Congress of the U.S. of A." On October 9, 1968, a six-
cent stamp was issued honoring the Norse explored, Leif Erikson. It
depicts the statue of him which stands in Reykjavik, Iceland.
In 1959 a national committee was formed to petition the U.S. Congress
for an annual Presidential Proclamation for Leif Erikson Day. With
the help of former Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, a bill was
passed by the U.S. Congress in 1964 designating October 9th as Leif
Erikson Day (LED) annually (78 STAT. 849, U.S.C. 169C). In 1969 a
committee comprised of Hartford Lodge, Sons of Norway members and
legislative for the Governor of the State of Connecticut to annually
proclaim LED. Connecticut House Bill No. 7155, Public Act No. 151,
states in part: "Leif Erikson Day shall be suitably observed in all
public schools of the State as a day of commemoration of the
Scandinavian peoples and their culture and the great contribution
they have made to this country in the past and are now making, and
also as a tribute to the gallant explorations of the Vikings."
It should be noted that there have been many variations in the
spelling of this famous Viking's name. Leif was the son of Erik the
Red who had been expelled from Norway and settled in Iceland. The
Icelandic language and the spelling of Leif's name dates back to the
Viking era is "Leifr Eirikson." The spelling chosen by the U.S.
Congress is "Leif Erikson", which is a variation closest to the
original Icelandic (and probably the most authentic) version. It is
said that the letter "c" was a much later import from the Latin
alphabet, and therefore would not have been used in his name.
--Contributed by: A. Norman Arntzen- Hartford Lodge 474
—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—8—
Leif Eriksson
Discoverer Of America
(Embassy of Iceland - Updated June 1997)
"The country which is called Greenland was discovered and settled
from Iceland. Eric the Red was the name of a man from Breidafjord who
went there from here and took possession of land in the place which
has since been called Ericsfjord. He named the country Greenland, and
said it would make people want to go there if the country had a good
name. There, both in the East and the West, they found human
habitations and fragments of skin boats and stone implements, from
which it was evident that the same kind of people had been there as
lived in Wineland and whom the Greenlanders call Skraelingjar. He
began settlement in the country 14 or 15 years before Christianity
came to Iceland, according to what a man who himself had gone there
with Eric the Red told Thorkell Gellisson in Greenland."
This extract from the Book of the Icelanders by Ari the Learned (1067-
1148) is completely reliable, though tantalizingly brief. He could be
sure that his readers knew about Wineland, and so wasted no words on
the story of its discovery and the early attempts that were made to
settle there.
The Book of Settlements contains more about Eric the Red, the father
of Leif Ericsson. Eric's father had fled from Norway because he had
slain men, and settled in Iceland. Eric established a farm at
Erisstadir in the west of Iceland and also lived for a short time on
Oexney and Sudurey, two of the islands off the West coast. Like his
father, he also became involved in slayings, and was eventually
sentenced to three years' outlawry and exile. Eric sailed to
Greenland and spent the three years exploring both the East and West
coasts. After a year in Iceland, he then moved permanently to
Greenland in either 985 or 986. The same summer, 25 ships set out for
Greenland, of which only 14 made the crossing. This was the beginning
of the Icelandic settlement of the country, a settlement which
flourished for some centuries.
The discovery of Wineland the Good and other lands on the eastern
coast of North America is recorded at greater length in two mediaeval
Iceland sagas, the Saga of Eric the Red and the Saga of the
Greenlanders. These were probably written around or soon after the
year 1200, just over two centuries after the events they record. Of
course it is likely that many details in them were distorted or
altered in the time during which they were handed down orally, but
these two sagas contain a central body of facts in common, including
most of the characters, the new lands in the west, and many of the
main events.
Leif was Eric's eldest child, probably born at Ericsstadir about 970-
980. As a child he moved with his parents to Greenland and grew up on
the farm at Brattahlid. Following the custom common among the sons of
prominent Icelandic families of the time, he made a voyage to Norway
as a young man. According to the account in the Saga of Eric the Red,
his ship was blown to the Hebrides and he spent most of a summer
there, during which time he begot a child with a woman named
Thorgunna. He arrived in Norway in the autumn. The king of Norway at
the time was Olafur Tryggvason (who ruled 995-1000), and he made
great efforts to convert Norway and the countries which had been
settled from it to Christianity. Leif met the king, was converted,
and spent the winter with him. In the spring the king sent him to
Greenland to spread Christianity, and sent two men to Iceland for the
same purpose, who succeeded in getting the Icelanders to adopt
Christianity at the Althingi in the summer.
Leif was driven off course in this voyage, and found lands whose
existence he had not previously known of. In one place there were
fields of self-sown wheat and grapevines. Leif named the country
Wineland. On the way back to Greenland he found men on a wrecked ship
and rescued them, after which he made his way to his father's home in
Brattahlid. This took place in the year 1000 according to Snorri
Sturluson's Heimskringla.
Leif brought a priest with him from Norway, and set about spreading
the new religion in Greenland. The saga says that Eric was reluctant
to have anything to do with it, but his wife Thjodhildur was
converted immediately and had a church built at some distance from
the farm buildings. The settlers in Greenland were probably all
converted very quickly, since no heathen graves have been found
there. A cathedral and bishopric were built later in Gardar in the
next fjord.
Soon after Leif's return to Greenland, an expedition was mounted to
explore the lands he had found. The explorers came first to a flat
and stony land which they named Flat-Stone Land. Then they sailed
further south and found another piece of land which was level and
wooded, and they named this Forest Land. Then they sailed a long way
south and reached a country where there were grapevines and self-won
wheat. Flat-Stone Land was probably Baffin Island, while Forest Land
was possibly part of Labrador. Archeological remains left by Norsemen
in the Viking Age have been discovered on the northern tip of
Newfoundland. They are probably the remains of wintering quarters, a
staging-point on the way between Greenland and Wineland. From the
descriptions in the sagas and from the objects found in Newfoundland
it seems plain that Wineland was considerably further south, probably
to the south of Gulf of St. Lawrence in what is now New Brunswick.
The Saga of Greenlanders tells how Bjarni Herjolfsson, the son of a
settler in Greenland, was the first to see the new countries when he
lost his course in fog while sailing to Greenland, and how Leif
Ericsson later explored them and gave them their names. It is
impossible to say now which version is correct, but if the two sagas
are given equal weight then the conclusion is that both men were the
discoverers, but Leif retains the credit for exploring the new lands
and giving them their names according to their characteristics.
Attempts were later made to settle in Wineland. A man from Skagafjord
in northern Iceland, Thorfinnur Karlsefni, led a large expedition in
the early 11th century. According to the Saga of Greenlanders, there
were sixty men and five women on his ship, including his wife
Gudridur. Thorfinnur had all sorts of livestock with him, since he
intended to settle in the new country. He got Leif's permission to
use the houses Leif had built in Wineland and stayed there with his
men for three years, but was driven away following violent clashed
with the Skraelingjar. During the first autumn in Leif's house in
Wineland, Snorri, the son of Thorfinnur and Gudridur was born, and he
is the first European recorded in history as being born on the
American continent. After a short time in Greenland, Thorfinnur and
Gudridur went back to Iceland and settled at Reynines in the North.
"Gudridur was a very exceptional woman" says the Saga of Eric the
Red, and the Saga of the Greenlanders says that after Thorfinnur's
death she made a pilgrimage to Rome, returned to Iceland to live with
her son, finally becoming a nun and a recluse in her old age.
Very little is known about Leif's later life. He was the most
prominent person in Greenland after the death of his father, and he
lived at Brattahlid. It is not known when he died, but his son
Thorkell is on record as the master of Brattahlid in about 1025, so
that he presumably died before then.
Leif's determination and nobility of spirit are well attested in the
two Wineland sagas, albeit in tersely-worded passages. "Leif became
wealthy and well respected" says the Saga of the Greenlanders. After
the rescue of the shipwrecked men, the Saga of Eric the Red
reads: "In this, as in many other things, he showed the greatest
nobility and goodness ... and after this he was always called Leif
the Lucky".
By Mr. Jonas Kristjansson,
Director of Arni Magnusson Institute in Reykjavik.
(Manuscript Institute)
Translation: Jeffrey Cosser. http://www.iceland.org/leifur.html
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By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Every October, we celebrate Leif Erikson Day and honor the memory of
that great Norse explorer who first set foot on North American soil
nearly a millennium ago. At a time when mankind has traveled from
pole to pole and even journeyed into the vast reaches of space, Leif
Erikson's bold determination stands as an early example of the spirit
of adventure and enterprise.
This day is an occasion to celebrate the bonds of friendship that
link the United States to the Nordic countries. For generations,
Iceland and her neighbors have acted as bridges between Europe and
North America, playing a vital role in fostering democracy and free
trade throughout the world. Nordic peoples have long shared America's
love of liberty and have always reached out to those who struggle
against oppression. Today, we in the United States are proud to work
with our Northern friends to truly re-integrate the Baltic states of
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Western family of nations.
Together we look forward to a new Europe, united by a common respect
for liberty and equality.
We should also mark this observance by recognizing the outstanding
contributions that citizens of Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian,
and Swedish descent have made to our country. Just as their ancestors
did before them, Nordic Americans cherish their ties across the ocean
and bring their many gifts to America's culture, progress, and
prosperity. As we remember Leif Erikson, whose voyage preceded so
many rugged immigrants who braved the North Atlantic in search of
economic, political, and religious liberties, let us pay tribute to
his courage and renew our commitment to freedom.
In honor of Leif Erikson of Iceland, grandson of Norway the Congress
by joint resolution approved on September 2, 1964 (Public Law 88-
566), has authorized and requested the President to designate October
9 of each year as "Leif Erikson Day."
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States
of America, do hereby proclaim October 9, 1995, as Leif Erikson Day.
I encourage the people of the United States to observe this occasion
with appropriate ceremonies and activities commemorating our rich
Nordic American heritage.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of
October. in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-five,
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twentieth.
SIGNED: William J. Clinton
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RECOMMENDED WEBSITES!!!
Spirit of Leif http://www.leif1000.net/
An educational website about Leif Eriksson featuring history and
language, texts to be used as lessons, resources and more!
Leif Ericson Vikingship http://www.libertynet.org/~viking/#mission
Interesting website about a non-profit organization promoting Leif
Ericson.
L'Anse aux Meadows http://www.parcscanada.gc.ca/parks/newfoundland/anse_meadows/anse_mead
ows_e.htm
Website from Parks Canada about L'Anse aux Meadows, national historic
site of Canada, where they have reconstructed three Norse buildings
in what is the earliest known European settlement in the New World.
Viking Heritage Database http://viking.hgo.se/
Almost everything you could possibly want to know about Viking
Heritage!
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RECOMMENDED WEBSITES - JUST FOR KIDS!!!
Carmen Sandiego Case 3 – Vikings in Vinland 1002 http://www.carmensandiego.com/products/time/vikingsc03/main_c03.html
Leif Eriksson and the Vikings are stranded on the shores of
North America. It's up to you to help recapture their stolen Viking
ship!
The Viking Discovery http://www.icelandnaturally.com/leap/main.html
Interactive website featuring movies, games, history information and
more!
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