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Leif Erikson

Also known as Leif Eiricson, Leif Ericson, Leif Eriksson, Leifur Eríksson, Leifur Eiriksson, Leifur Eriksson, Leif the Lucky

norse explorer (c. 970 – c. 1020)

AI overview

Leif Erikson was a Norse explorer who lived around 970 to 1020 CE and is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to reach North America, roughly 500 years before Columbus. He matters because his voyage represents an important but often-overlooked chapter in the early history of European exploration and contact with the Americas.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Given name: Leif
Gender: male
Citizenship: Icelandic Commonwealth
Place of birth: Eiríksstaðir
Place of death: Greenland
Father: Erik the Red
Sibling: Thorstein Eiriksson
Occupation: warrior
Languages spoken: Old West Norse
Religion: Old Norse religion
Image: Viking at MN Capitol.jpg

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name in native language: Leifr heppni Eiríksson
Commons category: Leifur Eiríksson
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
Commons gallery: Leifr Eiríksson
date of birth: 0972-00-00
date of death: 1020-00-00
topic's main category: Category:Leif Erikson
described by source: Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition

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Encyclopedic overview

Leif Erikson, also known as Leif the Lucky (c. 970s – c. 1018 to 1025), was a Norse explorer who is thought to have been the first European to set foot on continental America, approximately half a millennium before Christopher Columbus. According to the sagas of Icelanders, he established a Norse settlement at Vinland, which is usually interpreted as being coastal North America. There is ongoing speculation that the settlement made by Leif and his crew corresponds to the remains of a Norse settlement found in Newfoundland, Canada, called L'Anse aux Meadows, which was occupied approximately 1,000 years ago.

Leif's place of birth is unknown, although it is assumed to have been in Iceland. His father, Erik the Red, founded the first Norse settlement in Greenland, where Leif was later raised. Following his voyage to Vinland and the subsequent death of his father, Leif became chief of the Greenland settlement. He had two known sons: Thorgils, born in the Hebrides; and Thorkell, who succeeded him as Greenland's chieftain.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Leif Erikson” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.