Erik the Red
Erik the Red was a Norse explorer who established the first Norse settlements in Greenland after his exile from Iceland around 982.
Icelandic Commonwealth: A medieval Icelandic polity governed through local assemblies and chieftains from the tenth to thirteenth centuries. Its legal system sent Erik into exile after killings in Iceland.
Leif Erikson: A Norse explorer, son of Erik the Red, traditionally credited with reaching North America around the year 1000. Erik’s son carried the family’s Atlantic exploration beyond Greenland.
The Saga of Erik the Red: An Icelandic saga recounting Erik the Red’s exile, Greenland settlement, and later voyages to Vinland. It is the principal narrative devoted to Erik’s expedition and settlement.
Greenlandic Norse settlement: The medieval Norse communities established in Greenland from the late tenth century. Erik’s founding role became central to the settlement’s origin story.
Greenland Norse archaeology: The study of Norse buildings, artifacts, and environmental remains from medieval Greenland. Archaeology tests saga claims about the settlements Erik helped found.
Greenland: The world’s largest island, where Norse settlers established communities in the late tenth century. Erik explored and settled its southwestern coast after leaving Iceland.
Thjodhild: Erik the Red’s wife, associated in later accounts with the Norse settlement at Brattahlid. She shared Erik’s settlement life and is linked to Greenland’s first church.
The Saga of the Greenlanders: An Icelandic saga describing Greenland’s settlement and Norse voyages to Vinland. Its account offers a distinct version of Erik’s family and Greenland’s founding.
Vinland: A name in Norse sources for lands explored west of Greenland, usually associated with coastal North America. Erik’s Greenland venture became a base for the family’s Vinland expeditions.
Greenland Norse settlement decline: The disappearance of Greenland’s medieval Norse communities by the fifteenth century, whose causes remain debated. The settlements Erik founded endured for centuries before an uncertain decline.