Eric the Red

The famous Viking explorer credited with the discovery and settlement of Greenland. 935-1001 AD Eric Thorvaldsson was born in Jeoderen, Norway and settled in Iceland with his family. He then became a Norse Chieftain. He was well know for his volitile temperament which earned him the nickname of "Eric the Red" and he ended up being exiled from Iceland for three years for murder. He and his wife, Thorhild, had four children, Freydis, Leif, Thorvald, and Thorsteinn. During his banishment, Eric the red decided to sail west, and he found a huge island; he named the island Greenland in order to make it sound pleasant and to encourage settlers to come there, which they did.