Viking Exploration
The Vikings are thought to have first discovered North America through their expeditions. This page covers that theory, especially the explorations of Lief Erikson. There are multiple ways to spell his name, as seen throughout this page.
Internet Resources
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Podcast- Leif EriksonThe podcast covers the lives and explorations of the father and son team of Erik the Red and Leif Erikson, who represent the most famous Viking explorers.
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Presidential Proclamation -- Leif Erikson Day, 2015Leif Erikson's discovery marks the beginning of a meaningful friendship between Norway and the United States, and we have seen reflections of his team's journey throughout history.
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The Troubling History of the Fight to Honor Leif Erikson—Not Columbus—as the Man Who 'Discovered America'A Time Magazine article covering the discovery of America.
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The Viking Explorer Who Beat Columbus to AmericaLeif Eriksson Day commemorates the Norse explorer believed to have led the first European expedition to North America.
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The Viking Who Discovered America 500 Years Before ColumbusThe Vikings were the first to set foot on the American continent.
Streaming Media
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Leif Eriksson the LuckyWhile the story of Leif Eriksson and the Vikings is relatively well known, Professor Liulevicius takes you deeper into the question of why the Vikings, or Norsemen, explored, as evidenced by their broader culture of adventure and values that pressed them onwards in often violent ways.
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North America and Viking ExplorersPeoples from Northern Europe also ventured far afield in the Middle Ages. Here, follow the voyages of the Vikings in their fast-moving ships and how they reached North America in the 10th century. Learn about the Viking settlements on Iceland and Greenland and their expeditions further west while seeking hospitable lands, leading to violent conflict with Algonquian tribes and later the Inuit.
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The Viking InvasionsWatch as the one- or two-boat raids of the late 8th century grew into vast armies of 50 ships or more by the middle of the 9th.k Intent on settling permanently, the invaders' influence in eastern England would be profound, with patterns of landholding, legal institutions, and even language altered forever.
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Viking Quest: AmericaThis gripping documentary series follows the perilous voyage of Draken Harald Hårfagre, the largest and most authentic Viking ship recreation ever built. Battling treacherous seas and unforgiving weather, a multi-national crew retraces the legendary routes of Norse explorers to America, uncovering extraordinary challenges faced over a thousand years ago.
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Who Was Lief Erikson?Leif Erikson is credited as the first European to reach North America in 1000 AD, yet what do we really know about him?
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Wild Way of the VikingsEwan McGregor narrates a unique NATURE episode looking at the wildlife of the North Atlantic through the eyes of the Vikings. Combining historical re-enactment with jaw-dropping nature footage, this film features reindeer, gyrfalcons, Arctic foxes, orcas, ravens, otters, and walruses. Discover how the Vikings thrived alongside with these animals in the true spirit of the WILD WAY OF THE VIKINGS.
Perspectives
The Sea Wolves
In AD 793 Norse warriors struck the English isle of Lindisfarne and laid waste to it. Wave after wave of Norse 'sea-wolves' followed in search of plunder, land, or a glorious death in battle. Much of the British Isles fell before their swords, and the continental capitals of Paris and Aachen were sacked in turn. Turning east, they swept down the uncharted rivers of central Europe, captured Kiev and clashed with mighty Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. But there is more to the Viking story than brute force. They were makers of law - the term itself comes from an Old Norse word - and they introduced a novel form of trial by jury to England. They were also sophisticated merchants and explorers who settled Iceland, founded Dublin, and established a trading network that stretched from Baghdad to the coast of North America. In The Sea Wolves, Lars Brownworth brings to life this extraordinary Norse world of epic poets, heroes, and travellers through the stories of the great Viking figures. Among others, Leif the Lucky who discovered a new world, Ragnar Lodbrok the scourge of France, Eric Bloodaxe who ruled in York, and the crafty Harald Hardrada illuminate the saga of the Viking age - a time which "has passed away, and grown dark under the cover of night."
Viking Age
Though infamous for their pirating and raiding, active Vikings were actually only a tiny fraction of the total Scandinavian population during the so-called Viking Age. This exploration of their culture goes beyond the myths into the prosaic realities and intimate details of family life; their attitude toward the more vulnerable members of society; their famed longships and extensive travels; and the role they played in the greater community. In addition to images and maps, a timeline lays out Viking history.
The Vikings
A comprehensive and thrilling history of the Vikings for fans of the History Channel series From Harald Bluetooth to Cnut the Great, the feared seamen and plunderers of the Viking Age ruled Norway, Sweden, and Denmark but roamed as far as Byzantium, Greenland, and America. Raiders and traders, settlers and craftsmen, the medieval Scandinavians who have become familiar to history as Vikings never lose their capacity to fascinate, from their ingeniously designed longboats to their stormy pantheon of Viking gods and goddesses, ruled by Odin in Valhalla. Robert Ferguson is a sure guide across what he calls "the treacherous marches which divide legend from fact in Viking Age history." His long familiarity with the literary culture of Scandinavia with its skaldic poetry is combined with the latest archaeological discoveries to reveal a sweeping picture of the Norsemen, one of history's most amazing civilizations. Impeccably researched and filled with compelling accounts and analyses of legendary Viking warriors and Norse mythology, The Vikings is an indispensable guide to medieval Scandinavia and is a wonderful companion to the History Channel series.
Resources
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Leif Erikson: Britannica AcademicThis database offers many articles to begin research on Leif Erikson.
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Leif Erikson: Credo ReferenceOld Norse Leifr Eiriksson, fl. A.D. 999–1000, Norse discoverer of America, b. probably in Iceland; son of Eric the Red. He spent his youth in Greenland and in 999 visited Norway, where he was converted to Christianity and commissioned by King Olaf I to carry the faith to Greenland. According to the “Saga of Eric the Red” in the collection of sagas known as Hauksbok, it was on the return voyage from Norway to Greenland in 1000 that Leif Ericsson, blown off his course, discovered hitherto unknown lands in which he found grapes, self-sown wheat, and a species of trees called “mausur.”