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What is known for certain is that Leif and the boy eventually found each other and the young man was recognized as his son.

Nevertheless, Leif left the island and got to Norway by the fall. King Olaf welcomed him to his court and asked if Leif had plans for a voyage to Greenland. The king had recently been converted to Christianity and wanted Leif to proclaim Christianity to the Norse settlers living in Greenland, including his parents. He returned to Greenland, and as the king wished, spread the message of Christianity. Leif’s mother, Thjodhild, quickly adopted the new religion, but his father, Eric, was reluctant to give up his pagan beliefs. Only when Thjodhild refused to live with

him as man and wife, did Eric the Red finally convert to Christianity.

Leif Eiriksson’s exploration and discovery of America was inspired by the accidental voyage of Bjarni Herjulfson.

As a skilled sailor and trader, Herjulfson had devoted himself to going on trading voyages from Iceland every other year

In 1002 BCE, Leif Eiriksson decided to explore the unknown lands discovered by Herjulfson while on the quest for his father.

Leif bought a ship from Bjarni and gathered a crew of thirty-five men.

Eric, his father, was approached about being the expedition leader. A fall from a horse prior to embarking convinced Eric that he would be unlucky on the voyage and that he was too old to set off on another adventure. Leif himself took command and the ship and crew departed.

The first country Leif encountered was the last one Herjulfson had seen. It was barren, with glacier-topped mountains and vast stretches of rock-covered ground

Initiating the practice of naming the lands he found after their geological and physical traits, he called this area Helluland, or “land of flat rocks.” (Labrador)

The second country Leif sailed to was level and wooded, with deep white beaches and a sloping shoreline. He called this place Markland (Newfoundland) or “forest land.” Leaving there, he sailed northeast. He found an island north of the mainland. He and his crew sailed the channel between the island and mainland and steered west. When they found land they went ashore, discovering a small river that flowed to the sea. They returned, took the ship up the river to a lake where they decided to build houses, and stayed through the winter.

The area had salmon in the river and lake; the winter was mild and almost frost-free, and the grass did not wither during the cold season.

The hours of daylight and nighttime were more equally divided than in either Iceland or Greenland

Leif divided his crew in half, determined to explore the area. Half would stay in camp while the other half went as a group to investigate the surroundings. The exploration crew was to go no further than the distance they could travel in order to return to camp by nightfall.

to explore the area. Half would stay in camp while the other half went as a group to investigate the surroundings. The exploration crew was to go no further than the distance they could travel in order to return to camp by nightfall.