Eric the Red

Eric the Red, a famous Viking explorer, left Iceland with his wife Thjódhild, and his children Leif, Freydis, Thorvald and Thorstein. His family was of Scandinavian origin and together they explored the tip of southern Greenland for several years. There they found endless rolling green pastures, perfect for raising sheep, goats and cows. Eric the Red, his family, servants and slaves built his farm estate near present day Julianehåb, which he named Brattahlid, in the early 980’s. The adjoining fjord was later called Eriksfjord. The coastal waters were filled with an abundance of sea life including a variety of whales, seal, walrus’, and many fish. On land, they found thousands of birds flocking the coastline, some competing for the scraps they could snatch from a well-fed polar bear or sated sea lion, others seeking out their own fare.