During the Viking Age (9th — 11th centuries), Scandinavian Vikings traveled from Ireland to Russia, engaging in trade, hunting, and robbery. Around 860, the Vikings discovered an island, calling it “ Iceland ” (“Ice Country”), and founded a number of colonies there. While making frequent voyages to the West, the Vikings are now considered to be the first Europeans to visit America, in addition, during the Viking Age, the first genetic contact between Europeans and North Americans also occurred.
Around 900 , a ship under the command of Gunnbjörn departed from Norway. He lost his course, and the Vikings saw an island (Greenland). The discovery of Gunnbjörn inspired other Normans on new expeditions. The creator of the Greenland colonies, Eric Red, was expelled from Norway around 985. After a difficult voyage, he managed to find the land discovered by Gunnbjörn. Its climate was very harsh, but Eric called it Greenland (“Green Country”). In 986, Eric gathered a group of Vikings, ready to settle on the island. When the team arrived, it was summer, and they managed to establish trade with Scandinavia. Soon, one of the settlers, Bjorny Horlfson, stumbled upon an unknown land, the hills of which were covered with forests (perhaps the northeast coast of America) because of the storm. Horlfson was impatient to come to Greenland to tell others about his discovery.
The son of Eric, Leif Ericson, was the first Viking to enter the coast of America. Around 1000, he visited the regions he named Helluland (“country of boulders”, now Baffin Land ), Markland (“forest country”, Labrador peninsula), and Vinland (“wine country”, possibly New England or Newfoundland ). Erikson’s expedition overwintered in Vinland and returned to Greenland.
Leif’s brother, Thorwald Erickson, founded a settlement in America in 1002. However, they were soon attacked by local natives, whom the Vikings called the Skrelinges (apparently, Algonquian tribes). Torvald fell in battle, and his companions returned home. The descendants of Eric Red made two more attempts to colonize Vinland. The first was attended by his sister-in-law Goodrid. Having settled in America, she succeeded in trading with the Scripping, but still left America. The second was led by the daughter of Eric, Freydis, but she failed to establish good relations with the natives, and the Vikings left Vinland. Thus, the settlement in Vinland only existed for several decades.
The hypothesis about the discovery of America by the Normans was common for many years, but it was not possible to find evidence. Even the map of the northeast coast of America, which was attributed to the times of the Vikings, was, by some signs, a fake. But in 1960, in Newfoundland (Canada), finally, remains of a Viking settlement (L’Annes-o-Meadows) were found.
In 2010, the remains of a woman were investigated in Iceland and it was established that she was a native Amercain woman, arrived in Iceland around the year 1000 and stayed there to live.
