Eirik the Red’s Saga

by Jason Doctor

Icelandic Roots will be hosting a public webinar on Monday, 16 February. Jason Doctor will host Kathy Thorbjornasson while she describes the saga of Eirik the Red. Many of us are familiar with this saga, but Kathy has dug deeper and will show us what she has discovered while entering the saga details into the Icelandic Roots database. Join us at the webinar. Details can be found at the Icelandic Roots Event Calendar, or watch for more information coming to you inbox on Sunday, 15 February.

Eirik the Red’s Saga records the settlement of Greenland and the earliest Norse voyages to lands west of it. It is not a heroic tale in the usual sense. The saga proceeds by exile, accident, and consequence. It is meant to give a somewhat historical understanding of the actions of Eirik.

Eirik Thorvaldsson was born in Norway. His father, Thorvald Asvaldsson, was involved in killings and was outlawed. As a result, Thorvald took his household to Iceland. They settled at Drangar in Hornstrandir. Thorvald later died there. 

Eiríksstaðir. Photo from Icelandic Roots image bank taken by Kent Lárus Björnsson

Eirik married Thjodhild, daughter of Jorund and Thorbjorg. They lived first at Eirikstadir in Haukadal. Eirik was a large man, strong, red-haired, and quick-tempered. Conflicts followed him. Slaves belonging to Eirik caused a landslide that damaged the farm of a neighbor, Valthjof. Valthjof’s kinsman Eyjolf the Foul killed the slaves. Eirik then killed Eyjolf. This began a larger feud.

Further killings followed. Eirik killed Hrafn the Dueller and others. The matter was taken to the Thing (Parliament). Eirik was declared an outlaw for three years. He was required to leave Iceland. This judgment led directly to the discovery and settlement of Greenland.

Eirik had heard reports of land to the west, sighted earlier by Gunnbjorn Ulfsson when driven off course. Eirik decided to look for this land during his exile. He sailed west from Snæfellsjökull. He explored the coastline for three years. He wintered first at Eiriksey, then farther south. He found fjords with grass and driftwood. He named places as he went.

Eirik called the land Greenland. He said this name would encourage settlement. When his exile ended, he returned to Iceland. He reported that the land was usable and described where farms could be established. Many people decided to go with him. Not all reached the destination. Some ships turned back. Some were lost.

Those who arrived settled mainly in two areas, later known as the Eastern Settlement and the Western Settlement. Eirik established his farm at Brattahlid in Eiriksfjord. He became the leading figure in Greenland. He was not formally a chieftain, but others deferred to him.

Among the settlers was Thorbjorn of Laugarbrekka and his daughter Gudrid. Thorbjorn left his property in Iceland after uneasiness with a neighbor and attempted to settle in Greenland. His ship was delayed by ice. During this period, famine struck Greenland. The settlers lacked food. Thorbjorn’s ship arrived late. He and his household stayed with Eirik for the winter.

During the famine, a seeress named Thorbjorg was invited to Eirik’s farm to foretell the future. She required certain rituals and songs. Though a Christian, Gudrid, who would later become a famous Icelandic explorer, sang the traditional chant because no one else knew it. The seeress predicted that conditions would improve and that Gudrid would have an important future and descendants of note.

Gudrid later married Thorstein Eiriksson, son of Eirik the Red. Thorstein was regarded as capable and even-tempered, unlike his father. Before their marriage, Thorstein attempted to travel to Vinland with another man named Thorfinn. The voyage failed. Storms drove them off course. They returned without reaching their destination.

Thorstein later fell ill during the winter and died. After his death, Gudrid experienced disturbances and visions, including an episode in which Thorstein spoke to her after death. These events are reported without explanation. Gudrid later left Greenland.

Another son of Eirik, Leif Eiriksson, traveled to Norway. He met King Olaf Tryggvason. The king converted Leif to Christianity and instructed him to bring the religion to Greenland. Leif sailed back, intending to return directly, but his ship was blown off course. He came upon new lands west of Greenland.

Leif explored these lands briefly. He found flat stones and named the first Helluland. The next was forested and named Markland. Farther south he found a place with mild climate, salmon, wild wheat, and grapevines. He named this land Vinland. He built shelters and wintered there. On the return voyage he rescued shipwrecked men. For this he was later called Leif the Lucky.

Leif returned to Greenland and reported what he had seen. He also brought Christianity. Many Greenlanders accepted baptism. Thjodhild did so quickly and had a church built near the farm. Eirik refused to convert. He continued to follow the old religion.

Leif did not return to Vinland. Instead, others attempted voyages there. Thorstein Eiriksson tried again but died before succeeding. Later, Thorfinn Karlsefni, a merchant from Iceland, organized a larger expedition. He married Gudrid, now widowed. They gathered ships, livestock, and people, intending to settle Vinland.

Gudridur and Snorri - monument in Glaumbær, Iceland.

Karlsefni’s group reached Vinland and stayed for several years. They encountered the local inhabitants, whom the saga calls “Skrælings” (believed to be a term used to describe the indigenous people). At first, trade was peaceful. The Norse offered red cloth and dairy products. The Skrælings offered furs. Later, conflict arose, apparently from misunderstandings and fear. Fighting occurred. The Norse decided the area was too dangerous for permanent settlement.

During the Vinland stay, Gudrid gave birth to a son, Snorri Thorfinnsson. He was the first child of European descent born in the western lands. After the abandonment of the settlement, the group returned to Greenland and later to Iceland.

Gudrid eventually traveled to Rome. After returning, she lived as a nun or religious woman. Her descendants became prominent in Iceland. The saga notes this fact without elaboration.

Eirik the Red did not die in Vinland or at sea. He remained in Greenland. Late in life he intended to join a Vinland voyage but fell from a horse and was injured. This was taken as a bad omen. He stayed behind. The saga does not record his death in detail.

The saga ends without a final summation. It does not praise Eirik or condemn him. It records that he discovered Greenland, that settlements were established, and that voyages were made farther west. Christianity arrived alongside exploration. Some attempts succeeded briefly. Others failed.

Throughout the saga, events follow from prior actions. Killings lead to outlawry. Outlawry leads to exploration. Exploration leads to settlement. Settlement leads to scarcity, religion, and further movement. Individuals do not control outcomes.  

Eirik the Red’s Saga preserves an account of Norse expansion across the North Atlantic. It describes how Greenland was settled and how lands farther west were reached and briefly occupied. This saga and the Greenland Saga are described in more detail in an Icelandic Roots blog post called “The Vinland Sagas”.