ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Knowledgia How did the Vikings Reach America 500 years before Columbus?
When we think about the discovery of America, Christopher Columbus often comes to mind. But did you know that the Vikings, led by Leif Erikson, actually reached North America about 500 years before Columbus? This story is fascinating and changes how we think about history!
Leif Erikson was a Viking explorer from Scandinavia, born around 970 A.D. in Iceland. His father, Eric the Red, was also a famous explorer who founded a settlement in Greenland after being exiled from Iceland. Leif grew up in Greenland and later traveled to Norway, where he met King Olaf I. The king convinced Leif to convert to Christianity and return to Greenland to spread the new faith.
The story of Leif Erikson’s journey to North America is told in two Icelandic sagas, which are like ancient legends. These sagas were passed down orally before being written down. Both sagas agree that around the year 1000 A.D., Leif set sail across the Atlantic Ocean, but they tell different versions of how he ended up in North America.
In this saga, Leif hears about a mysterious land across the ocean from a sailor named Bjarni Herjulfsson. Bjarni had accidentally sailed near North America but never landed. Intrigued, Leif gathered a crew of 35 men and set off to explore this unknown land. They reached what is now believed to be Baffin Island in Canada, which Leif named “Helluland,” meaning “stone-slab land.” They continued south to a place called “Markland,” likely modern-day Labrador, known for its forests.
This saga tells a different story, suggesting that Leif accidentally discovered North America while returning from Norway to Greenland. Regardless of how it happened, Leif and his crew explored the area, which they called “Vinland” because of the wild grapes they found there. They set up a base camp in what is now Newfoundland and spent the winter there.
Can we trust these sagas? Many historians and archaeologists believe we can. In 1960, a Norwegian explorer named Helga Ingstad found the remains of a Viking settlement in Newfoundland. This discovery matched the descriptions in the sagas and confirmed that Vikings had reached North America. Scientists even tested wood from the site and found it was cut in 1021 A.D., supporting the idea that Vikings were there around the time the sagas describe.
So, was it Columbus or the Vikings who first discovered America? While Columbus is credited with discovering the southern and central parts of the Americas, Leif Erikson and the Vikings reached the northern part much earlier. However, it’s important to remember that indigenous peoples had been living in these lands long before either Columbus or the Vikings arrived.
Today, the site of Leif Erikson’s settlement in Newfoundland is a UNESCO heritage site. In 1964, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson declared October 9 as Leif Erikson Day to honor his journey. Interestingly, this date is close to Columbus Day, and in 2023, both explorers will be celebrated on the same day. While both Columbus and Erikson brought European influence to the Americas, it was the Vikings who first set foot on North American soil.
Imagine you are a Viking explorer like Leif Erikson. Write your own saga about a journey to a new land. Describe what you see, the challenges you face, and the discoveries you make. Share your saga with the class and discuss how it compares to the real Viking sagas.
Using a blank map of the North Atlantic, plot the route that Leif Erikson might have taken from Greenland to North America. Label the places mentioned in the sagas, such as Helluland, Markland, and Vinland. Discuss how geography might have influenced their journey.
Research Viking artifacts that have been found in North America. Create a presentation or a poster showcasing these artifacts and explain what they tell us about Viking life and their exploration of new lands. Present your findings to the class.
Participate in a class debate about who should be credited with discovering America: the Vikings or Columbus. Prepare arguments for both sides, considering the evidence and the impact of each explorer’s journey. Discuss the role of indigenous peoples in this history.
Work in groups to build a model of a Viking longship using materials like cardboard, paper, and string. Research the design and features of these ships and explain how they were suited for long voyages across the ocean. Display your models and discuss the engineering behind them.
The story of Christopher Columbus discovering America has long been known and debated. Can it really be called a discovery when the land was already inhabited? What about the fact that he stumbled across South and Central America, not what we generally define as North America? These questions are valid but often overshadow another important inquiry: why do we credit the discovery of the Americas by Europeans to Columbus and not the Vikings?
Roughly five centuries before Columbus even laid eyes on American land, it was Leif Erikson, a Scandinavian Viking, who stepped onto North American soil. It is now believed that he was actually the first European to do so. Leif Erikson was born in Iceland sometime around 970 A.D. to the prominent Viking explorer Eric the Red. Eric had first lived in Iceland after his father had been banished from Norway for manslaughter. When Leif was just a boy, Eric himself was exiled from Iceland for following in his father’s footsteps and committing murder. This meant that Leif spent part of his childhood in Greenland, where Eric had founded a new settlement.
As an adult, Erikson decided to journey to Norway, where King Olaf I convinced him to convert to Christianity. The monarch then tasked Leif with returning to Greenland to convert his fellow pagan settlers. However, what happened next is unclear. There are two sagas that provide differing accounts of how Leif Erikson spent his subsequent years. Sagas are Icelandic legends originally passed down orally and later written down. In the case of Erikson, both sagas begin around 1000 A.D., but the details differ.
In one saga, known as The Saga of the Greenlanders, the story goes that Leif had heard tales of a mysterious land across the ocean from a man named Bjarni Herjulfsson, who had sailed toward what was supposed to be Greenland but ended up in the direction of North America. Although he never set foot on the land, he knew it was there. Intrigued by this idea of an undiscovered land, Leif rallied a crew to join him on a voyage with 35 men.
The explorer and his crew successfully sailed across the Atlantic and reached the shores of North America, somewhere in present-day Canada. Erikson named his new discovery “Helluland,” which in Old Norse means “stone-slab land,” a fitting name for what the Vikings encountered. Historians believe this area is likely Baffin Island. The saga continues, stating that the Scandinavians made their way further south, likely to modern-day Labrador, which Leif called “Markland,” meaning “forest land” due to its abundant trees and lumber resources.
The Vikings were captivated as they traveled to what historians believe was the tip of Newfoundland, where it seems Erikson and his men set up a base camp and spent the winter, taking advantage of the more tolerable weather. Their explorations revealed vast rivers filled with salmon, stunning greenery, and wild grapes, leading Leif to name the region “Vinland,” or “wine land.”
However, the two sagas differ significantly in their accounts. According to the second saga, The Saga of Eric the Red, discovering the new world was not an adventurous success but rather a mistake. This version suggests that Leif was actually on his way back from Norway to Greenland and accidentally stumbled upon the American continent.
Regardless of the reason for the trip, Erikson and his men eventually returned to Greenland, around the time of Eric the Red’s death, making Leif the new chief of the Greenland settlement. From that point, Erikson never returned to North America, leaving no permanent settlement or colony where his Canadian adventure had occurred. Other Vikings, however, continued to explore the new world in the following years, establishing multiple temporary settlements. Just three years after Leif’s expedition, his brother Torvald was killed during a conflict with the native populations, making him one of the first Europeans believed to be buried in American soil.
But can we trust these sagas? Are they real history? Many historians and archaeologists affirm that we can trust the Icelandic stories, as they include actual historical facts, even if some details may have been altered over time. Evidence supporting Leif’s trip to North America has been found, correlating with the sagas. In 1960, Helga Ingstad, a Norwegian explorer, discovered remains of a centuries-old settlement on the northern tip of Newfoundland. Subsequent excavations confirmed that these ruins belonged to Vikings and dated back to the same century that Erikson allegedly settled in the area.
Furthermore, scientists tested three pieces of wood from the Viking ruins to determine the exact year they were cut. They found that the lumber had been cut in 1021 A.D. While this might seem to contradict the sagas, which place Leif’s expedition closer to 1000 A.D., many scholars argue that it does not. Dr. Colleen Beatty, a Viking specialist, notes that the existence of Vikings in North America in the 1020s does not negate the possibility that they were also there at the start of the century. The activities prompting the cutting of those trees in 1021 could have been part of ongoing occupation, not necessarily the first.
So, was Christopher Columbus the first European to discover the Americas, or was it Leif Erikson and his band of Vikings? Did Columbus discover the southern and central parts while the Vikings found the north 500 years earlier? Or can we even call any of it a discovery, given the vast population of indigenous tribes already inhabiting the continents? All of this is up for debate, but it seems that the stories told in Icelandic legends about a Viking explorer finding the new world are no longer debatable.
Today, the remains of Erikson’s settlement in Newfoundland are part of a UNESCO heritage site. In 1964, American President Lyndon Johnson declared October 9 to be Leif Erikson Day, marking the anniversary of the 1825 landing of Norwegian immigrants to the United States. Coincidentally, early October also holds the date of Christopher Columbus Day, and in 2023, both adventurers will be commemorated on the same day. Columbus and Erikson both brought European life and death to American soil, intruding on the land of Native American tribes in the name of exploration and colonization. However, technically, it was the Vikings who discovered North America first.
Vikings – Seafaring Scandinavian people known for their raids and exploration during the early Middle Ages. – The Vikings traveled across the North Atlantic, reaching as far as North America.
America – A continent in the Western Hemisphere, consisting of North, Central, and South America. – Christopher Columbus is often credited with the European discovery of America in 1492.
Leif – A Norse explorer from Iceland, known for being one of the first Europeans to set foot in North America. – Leif Erikson is believed to have landed in what is now Newfoundland, Canada.
Erikson – The surname of Leif Erikson, a famous Norse explorer. – Erikson’s voyages are celebrated in both Icelandic sagas and modern history.
Sagas – Long stories or legends, often about historical or legendary figures, originating from Iceland and Scandinavia. – The sagas of the Norse explorers provide insight into their journeys and discoveries.
Exploration – The act of traveling in or through an unfamiliar area to learn about it. – The Age of Exploration led to the discovery of new lands and sea routes by European explorers.
Settlement – A community established in a new area by a group of people. – The settlement of Jamestown in 1607 was the first permanent English colony in America.
Indigenous – Originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native. – Indigenous peoples of America have rich cultures and histories that predate European colonization.
Discovery – The act of finding or learning something for the first time. – The discovery of the New World dramatically changed the course of history.
History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs. – Understanding history helps us learn from past mistakes and successes.
