— Ch. 1 · Blood And Banishment —
Erik the Red.
~4 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
Erik Thorvaldsson was born in the Jæren district of Rogaland, Norway around 950 CE. His father Thorvald Asvaldsson fled Norway after committing manslaughter and sailed west with his family to Iceland. The young Erik grew up in Hornstrandir, a remote area in northwestern Iceland where his father died before 970 CE. Later conflicts erupted when Erik's slaves caused a landslide on a neighboring farm owned by Valthjof. Eyjolf the Foul killed those slaves in retaliation. Erik responded by killing both Eyjolf and Hrafn the Dueller. Kinsmen of Eyjolf demanded legal prosecution for these deaths. Erik moved to Brokey and Öxney island but stole back pillars from Thorgest that had been left behind. This theft sparked a fight where Erik slew two sons of Thorgest and several other men. The dispute ended at the Thorsnes Thing assembly where Erik and his allies were outlawed from Iceland for three years starting around 982.
The Name Game
During his exile period beginning in 982, Erik explored a land previously sighted by Gunnbjörn Ulf-Krakuson nearly a century earlier. He rounded Cape Farewell and sailed along the western coast until finding ice-free areas similar to Iceland. Erik spent his first winter on Eiriksey and his second winter at Eiriksholmar near Hvarfsgnipa. In the final summer he reached as far north as Snaefell and into Hrafnsfjord. When he returned to Iceland after his banishment expired, he brought stories about this new territory. Erik deliberately named it Greenland because people would be attracted to go there if it had a favorable name. He knew success required support from many settlers willing to brave the cold waters. His marketing strategy proved effective when he returned to Greenland in the summer of 985 with colonists ready to build homes.