Freydis eiriksdottir biography of albert lea

Freydis Eiriksdottir came from a family of adventurers and explorers. Her father was Eirik the Red , the man who spearheaded the Nordic settlement of Greenland around or Leif Eiriksson was the first known European to step foot on North American soil, doing so around the year or , and he named the land where he disembarked Vinland.

Thorvald Eiriksson was said to have succeeded in reaching North America, but reportedly died in a clash with natives.

A second attempt at colonization of the same area, led by Freydis Eiriksdottir, encountered no natives but fought among themselves and abandoned Vinland.

Thorstein Eiriksson , when it was his turn, apparently got lost during the journey and never reached North America. He had to turn back to Greenland, where he died of disease before he could try again. Freydis, like her brothers, would also attempt to reach North America. She would prove to be much more successful than her brother Thorstein, reportedly reaching North America in one or two expeditions.

Freydis made an appearance in both of the sagas and comes across as a tough and fearsome woman that no one would want to cross.

Freydís Eiríksdóttir, daughter of the legendary Erik the Red, is remembered as one of the fiercest women in Viking history.

The independent sagas, which can be conflicting in some places and complimentary in others, focus on different voyages in which Freydis was said to have participated, and feature different feats that she was said to have accomplished. It was a three-year experience, dated to or , in which the Norsemen settled and traded with the natives. The peaceful relationship between the locals and the Nordic explorers, however, was said to have eventually deteriorated into hostility, ultimately leading to a battle.

In the version presented by the Saga of the Greenlanders , Thorfinn Karlsefni won the battle with psychological warfare and masterful strategy, making no mention of Freydis. After the battle, the Norsemen decided that North America was too hostile for their liking and they returned to Greenland. According to the Saga of the Greenlanders , Freydis would venture one last time across the ocean.