He was a murderer. Twice over. Honestly, if you look at the track record of Erik the Red, the man wasn't exactly a poster boy for peaceful exploration. Most people think of him as a brave pioneer who "discovered" a new world, but the reality is much more chaotic. Erik Thorvaldsson was basically a guy who kept getting kicked out of every neighborhood he lived in until he ran out of places to go.
That’s how he ended up in Greenland.
It wasn't a noble quest for knowledge. It was a three-year "stay-away-or-we-kill-you" sentence from the Icelandic courts. And let's be real about the name: Greenland. It’s the original clickbait. He knew the place was an icy wasteland for the most part, but he also knew nobody was going to pack up their cows and kids to move to "Death-by-Freezing Island."
The Exile That Changed Everything
Erik’s family had a bit of a habit of getting into trouble. His father, Thorvald Asvaldsson, got banished from Norway for "some killings"—the sagas are a bit vague on the specifics, but "some" usually means too many to ignore. They fled to Iceland, but Erik didn't exactly learn from his dad's mistakes.
He settled down, married a woman named Thjodhild, and tried to be a farmer. It didn't take. First, his slaves (thralls) accidentally caused a landslide that crushed a neighbor's house. The neighbor's friend, a guy charmingly named Eyiolf the Foul, killed the slaves. Erik, being Erik, killed Eyiolf.
Then he moved to a different part of Iceland and got into a fight over some "setstokkr"—ceremonial wooden beams. He’d lent them to a man named Thorgest, who wouldn't give them back. Erik went and took them by force, a fight broke out, and Erik killed Thorgest’s sons.
The Icelandic "Thing" (the local assembly) had enough. They declared him an outlaw for three years starting around 982 CE.
Erik the Red Greenland: The Marketing Genius
With his back against the wall, Erik sailed west. He’d heard rumors of land out there, sighted a century earlier by a sailor named Gunnbjörn Ulfsson. Erik didn't "discover" Greenland in the sense that he was the first to see it, but he was the first to realize he could actually live there—or at least, he had to try.
✨ Don't miss: What Time in South Korea: Why the Peninsula Stays Nine Hours Ahead
He spent three years exploring the deep fjords of the southwest coast. It was actually surprisingly lush in the summer, at least compared to the interior ice sheet. When his exile ended in 985, he headed back to Iceland with a plan.
He called the land Greenland.
"He said that it would encourage people to go there that the country had a good name." — The Saga of Erik the Red
It worked. People in Iceland were struggling with overpopulation and bad harvests. Erik promised them free land, green meadows, and a fresh start. He managed to convince 25 ships' worth of people to follow him.
Only 14 made it. The rest were either lost at sea or turned back because the conditions were too brutal.
Why the "Red" Moniker?
Most historians agree it was probably his hair. A giant, fiery red beard and a matching mane. But given his temper, the name probably had a double meaning. You don't get kicked out of two different countries for being a "people person."
Life at the Edge of the World
Erik set up his home at Brattahlid, which is now Qassiarsuk. He was the "Paramount Chieftain." He was rich, powerful, and finally in charge of a place where nobody could banish him.
🔗 Read more: Where to Stay in Seoul: What Most People Get Wrong
The Norse Greenlanders didn't just survive; they built a real society.
- They raised sheep, goats, and cattle.
- They traded walrus ivory and polar bear skins with Europe.
- They built stone churches, including one for Erik’s wife, Thjodhild, after she converted to Christianity (Erik, ever the stubborn Viking, mostly stayed pagan).
The population eventually grew to maybe 2,500 to 5,000 people. That’s not a lot, but for a place that’s 80% ice, it’s a miracle.
The Big Mystery: Where Did They Go?
By the 1400s, the Norse settlements in Greenland just... stopped. The last written record is of a wedding at Hvalsey Church in 1408. After that, silence.
For a long time, people thought they were all killed by the Inuit (the Thule people who were moving south) or that they starved. Modern archaeology suggests something different. It wasn't a sudden massacre. It was a slow, quiet exit.
The climate started to cool down (the Little Ice Age). The ivory trade collapsed because Europe started getting "better" elephant ivory from Africa. Life in Greenland was getting harder, while life in Iceland and Norway was looking a bit better.
Basically, the young people left. They hopped on ships and never came back. By the time the Danes showed up in 1721 to see how their "cousins" were doing, they found nothing but empty stone ruins and wind.
What You Can Actually See Today
If you’re the type of person who likes history you can touch, you can actually visit Erik’s old stomping grounds.
💡 You might also like: Red Bank Battlefield Park: Why This Small Jersey Bluff Actually Changed the Revolution
Qassiarsuk (Brattahlid)
This is where it all started. You can see the ruins of Erik’s farm and a reconstructed version of Thjodhild’s Church. It’s tiny—barely big enough for a dozen people. It really puts into perspective how small and fragile their world was.
Igaliku (Gardar)
This was the seat of the Bishop. There are remains of a massive cathedral (well, massive for Greenland) and a tithe barn where they kept the livestock used to pay the church.
Hvalsey
The church ruins here are the best-preserved in the country. The walls are still standing, looking out over the water. It’s haunting when you realize this is the last place the Vikings were ever officially recorded.
Surprising Facts Most People Get Wrong
Honestly, the "Erik the Red Greenland" story is full of holes in the public consciousness.
- He wasn't the first human there. Not even close. Various Paleo-Inuit cultures like the Saqqaq and Dorset people had been living in Greenland for thousands of years before the Vikings arrived. They just happened to be in the north when Erik arrived in the south.
- His son was more famous. Leif Erikson, Erik’s son, is the one who actually made it to North America (Vinland). Erik was supposed to go with him but fell off his horse on the way to the ship and took it as a bad omen. He stayed home and died shortly after, around 1003 CE, probably during an epidemic.
- Greenland wasn't "Green" then either. While the Medieval Warm Period made it slightly more hospitable, it was still a rugged, sub-arctic environment. Erik was definitely stretching the truth to get those 500 settlers to follow him.
Actionable Insights for History Buffs
If you're planning to dive deeper into the world of the Norse explorers, don't just rely on TV shows like Vikings. They take massive liberties with the timeline.
Read the Sagas: Check out the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Erik the Red. They are surprisingly readable, though you have to remember they were written 200 years after the events happened. They’re a mix of family history and tall tales.
Visit via Iceland: Most people visit these sites by flying from Reykjavik to Narsarsuaq. It’s a short flight that takes you right into the heart of the "Eastern Settlement."
Look at the Bio-Archaeology: If you want the real story of the collapse, look up the work of Dr. Jette Arneborg. Her research on bone isotopes shows that the Vikings actually shifted their diet from farm animals to sea mammals (seals) as the climate got colder. They weren't "dumb" farmers who refused to adapt; they adapted until it just wasn't worth the effort anymore.
Erik the Red was a violent, hot-headed man who used a lie to build a colony on the edge of the world. But that lie created a society that lasted for nearly 500 years in one of the harshest environments on Earth. That’s a legacy that’s hard to ignore.