Ericsson, Leif
F2. Maritime Culture, Heritage, Archaeology, Art and MuseumsDefinition
Norse explorer of Vinland, c. 1000 CE.
Leif Erikson (Old Norse Leifr Eiriksson) was an Icelandic-Norse explorer, son of Erik the Red, credited in the Vinland sagas with reaching North America around the year 1000, roughly five centuries before Columbus. The Norse landing is corroborated archaeologically at L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, excavated from 1960 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Reached in open Viking ships, Vinland is described in the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Erik the Red. The United States observes Leif Erikson Day on 9 October.
Source: Vinland sagas; L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland (UNESCO World Heritage Site, Norse occupation c. 1000).