Thorvald Eriksson

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Thorvald Eriksson ( Old Norse : Þōrvaldr Eirikssonr; Icelandic : Þorvaldur Eiríksson, † approx. 1005 in Vinland ) was an Icelandic seafarer and a legend of the Icelandic sagas . He was a brother of Leif Eriksson and son of Erik the Red .

Eriksson's brother Leif reached areas on Canada's east coast in 1000 and is now considered the first European to set foot on the American mainland.

Greenlendinga saga

The Greenland Saga According Thorvald Eriksson broke about two years later of Greenland from on to the newly discovered land to explore in more detail. Thorvald and his 30 companions used the same ship that Leif had landed in America on. The crew settled in Leifsbudir , the settlement of Leif, and spent the winter there. The following spring Thorvald sailed west to explore Vinland, as Leif had called the area. With the exception of a granary, no evidence of human habitation was found. In autumn the team returned to Leifsbudir to spend the winter there again. The next summer Thorvald set out to the north and east of the settlement. This time there was hostility with indigenous people. According to the Greenland saga, they found three indigenous people each under three kayaks on a beach , of whom they killed eight. The ninth escaped and came back with reinforcements. During the skirmish with the indigenous people, Thorvald was hit by an arrow and fatally wounded.

After Thorvald's death, the crew returned to Greenland. Thorstein Eriksson, another brother of Thorvald, tried to recover the remains of his brother. On the way to Vinland Thorstein spent the winter in Lysufjord , where he died of an illness and was therefore unable to carry out his project.

Saga of Erik the Red

Thorvald Eriksson is also mentioned in the saga of Erik the Red (Eiríks saga rauða). His role in the exploration of America is very contradicting that in the Greenland saga. According to Eiríks saga rauða , Thorvald never set out on his own expedition (or at least did not die in the process), but was a participant in another voyage of discovery by Thorfinn Karlsefni to Vinland, which began in 1010. As a result, Thorvald was hit by a one-legged native with an arrow in the abdomen in 1012 and was also fatally injured.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Farley Mowat, West Viking: The Ancient Norse in Greenland and North America (1965) ISBN 978-0771066924
personal data
SURNAME Thorvald Eriksson
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Þōrvaldr Eirikssonr (Old Norse); Þorvaldur Eiríksson (Icelandic)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Icelandic sailor
DATE OF BIRTH 10th century
DATE OF DEATH around 1004
Place of death Vinland