Erik the Red is exiled and finds Greenland
A killing, a second killing, and three years of banishment spent exploring an unclaimed coast
Quick facts
- Exiled from
- Iceland
- Exile period
- c. 982-985 CE
- Departure point
- Snaefellsjokull, Iceland
- Settlement founded
- Eriksfjord, Greenland
What happened
Erik Thorvaldsson, called Erik the Red, was already living under a cloud in Iceland after earlier trouble in Norway when, around 982, his servants caused a landslide that destroyed a neighbor's house; the neighbor's family killed the servants in return, and Erik killed the neighbor. For this Erik was sentenced to three years of exile and used the time to sail west from Snaefellsjokull, reaching the coast of a landmass roughly 180 miles away that earlier sailors had glimpsed but not settled. He explored the fjords along the coast, naming many after himself, including the fjord where he eventually settled, and gave the whole landmass the deliberately appealing name Greenland. When his exile ended he returned to Iceland and recruited settlers by promising them this new land.
Why it matters
Erik's exile turned into the founding of Norse Greenland, which lasted as a settlement for roughly four centuries and served as the launching point for Norse voyages toward North America, including those credited to his son Leif. The story is preserved only in Icelandic sagas written long after Erik's lifetime, so specific personal details are less certain than the broader fact of Norse settlement, which archaeology at Greenland sites confirms independently.
How we know
The account comes from the Saga of Erik the Red and the Book of Settlements, both Icelandic texts compiled two to three centuries after the events they describe; the existence of the Greenland settlement itself is confirmed by archaeological remains at sites like Brattahlid.
Sources
- The Mariners' Museum and Park, Ages of Exploration. Erik the Red · Reputable sourceexploration.marinersmuseum.org · The domain "exploration.marinersmuseum.org" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- The Mariners' Museum and Park, Ages of Exploration. Erik the Red · Reputable sourceexploration.marinersmuseum.org · The domain "exploration.marinersmuseum.org" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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