HannahW Again, Hannah has post a great article of the Norseman, Eric the Red and his exploration and discovery of the lands weat of Iceland which we now call Greenland. But after I read the post it reminded me of another great Norseman, Leif Erikson, the son of Erik the Red, who explored further the lands west of Greenland which is now called North America. The Norse were the first European adventurers to set foot on North America soil. They predated Columbus by 500 years. Leif Erikson in his Sagas called the lands he explored Helluland, Markland and Vinland. He founded the first European settlements in North America. There were Norse settlements in North American well into the 12th. century. But these settlement have long disappeared by the time Columbus made his voyages to the Americas. BTW, Columbus never set foot on North America. The closest he came was a couple islands in the Bahamas.
Leif Eriksom is responsible for founding 3 settlemands in North America:
Helluland (Land of Flat Rocks) which is believed to be north of present day Labrador.
Markland (Land of Forest) which is believed to be Labrador and parts of Newfoundland.
Vinland (Land of Vines) which is believed to be the Gaspé Peninsula and lands around the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Also, Leif Erikson is known for being the first missionary to bring Christainity to North America.