Leif Erikson: From Iceland to Vinland

Around 970, Erik the Red cleared land in Haukadalur and built the farmstead of Eiríksstaðir. His son Leif was likely born there. Excavations found a longhouse with walls of turf set on a base of rocks. Erik had to leave the area after killing two men in revenge for the deaths of his thralls. Today a replica longhouse, opened in 2000 as an open-air museum, stands about 100 metres from the protected ruins.

Visitor guidance: The replica longhouse museum stands about 100 metres from the protected ruins.

Erik's colonists founded Greenland's first permanent settlement in 986, and Leif grew up on the family estate of Brattahlíð in the Eastern Settlement. Leif converted to Christianity at King Olaf Tryggvason's court in Norway, and his mother Thjóðhildr also became a Christian and built a church. Its remains are likely the first church in the Americas. A replica of Thjodhild's church stands at a distance from the real site.

Visitor guidance: A replica of Thjodhild's church stands at a distance from the original site.

Leif bought Bjarni's ship, gathered a crew of thirty-five men and sailed to the lands Bjarni had described. Helluland came first. The Saga of Erik the Red describes flat stones so great that two men might lie on them. Leif found the land inhospitable and decided against settling there. Most scholars place Helluland on Baffin Island.

Location precision: The sagas give no landmark, so the pin marks Baffin Island, where most scholars place Helluland.

Next, Leif came to a land that was flat and wooded, with white sandy beaches. He called it Markland, the Forest Land. The crew cut down trees and took them to Greenland. Markland is usually identified with the Labrador coast, and the area of Cape Porcupine has been suggested as a candidate.

Location precision: Scholars cannot pinpoint the Labrador coast section; the pin marks Cape Porcupine, one suggestion.

After wintering in Vinland, Leif returned to Greenland in spring with a cargo of grapes and timber. In 1960 George Decker, a local resident, led Helge Ingstad to grassy mounds that proved to be Norse buildings. A tree-ring study dates Norse activity here to 1021. Some link the site to Leifsbudir. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the remains of seven Norse buildings are on display.

Location precision: Whether this site is Leif's Leifsbudir is debated, so it is marked as approximate.

Visitor guidance: The remains of seven Norse buildings are on display.