The Vikings and Leif Eriksson Pgs 119 120

The Vikings and Leif Eriksson Pgs. 119 -120, Wb. 15

Who were the Vikings? • A culture originating in Norway, Denmark and Sweden. • The Vikings were fierce conquerors, brave explorers, and skilled craftspeople; they invaded and settled countries throughout Western Europe. • They were the first Europeans to discover America (in about AD 1000), almost 500 years before Columbus.

Stories of an Unknown Land • For a very long time, people had told stories about an unknown land between Europe and Asia. • No one knew for sure if stories of a New World could be true. • These stories began a new era called the Age of Exploration.

Leif Eriksson – 975 -1020 • Leif Eriksson was the son of Eric the Red, who started the first European settlement of Greenland in 985. • He was born in Iceland around 975. • Leif was a leader of Viking expeditions and may have been the first European to reach North America.

Two Versions of the Same Story • In the year 1000, Leif sailed to Norway, which is where his family had originally come from. • While he was there, he became a Christian and planned to return to Greenland to teach the Vikings about Christianity. • As Leif sailed back to Greenland, he was blown off course and ended up in North America instead of Greenland.

Two Versions of the Same Story • A second story says that another Viking had already been to North America. • Leif wanted to retrace the route. So he sailed to North America, but not by mistake. • He landed in a place he called Vinland. This was probably part of Canada now called Newfoundland.

A Viking Long Ship • Viking long ships could travel rough, open seas. A long ship could be as long as 75 feet and could carry up to 35 people.