Leif Ericsson west of Greenland.
AD 1001

Watercolor 14” x 21”


The North Atlantic and the Norse


From the ninth to the twelfth century the Scandinavians were the most aggressive seafarers in Europe. While sailors of the southern countries kept timidly within sight of land, the seamen from Norway, Denmark and Sweden were boldly venturing into unchartered waters. One of these Norse traders, Biarni Heriulfson, was probably the first European to sight North America. Sailing westward from Iceland, he missed Greenland and fetched up off what he described as a level wooded land. His discovery excited Leif Ericsson who procured Biarni’s boat and set off to explore the land that Biarni had seen. Leif made landfall somewhere on the Labrador coast, then sailed southward for several days. Leif Ericsson and his crew explored the area around northern Newfoundland and southern Labrador and then returned to Greenland. The year was 1001, 491 years before Columbus and his “discovery”.