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Leif Erikson
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Leif Eriksson Discovers America
Leif Eriksson Discovers America Leif Eriksson Discovers America, oil on canvas by Christian Krohg, 1892.

Leif Erikson

Norse explorer
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Also known as: Leif Ericson, Leif Eriksson, Leif the Lucky, Leifr Eiríksson
Written by
Birgitta Wallace
Research Archaeologist Emerita, Parks Canada Agency, Atlantic Service Centre. Author of Westward Vikings: The Saga of L’Anse aux Meadows.
Birgitta Wallace
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
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Last Updated: • Article History
Quick Facts
Erikson also spelled:
Eriksson, Ericson, or Eiriksson
Old Norse:
Leifr Eiríksson
Byname:
Leif the Lucky
Flourished:
11th century
Flourished:
c.1001 - c.1100
Notable Family Members:
father Erik the Red
See all related content

Leif Erikson (flourished 11th century) was a Norse explorer widely held to have been the first European to reach the shores of North America. The 13th- and 14th-century Icelandic accounts of his life show that he was a member of an early voyage to eastern North America, although he may not have been the first to sight its coast. The second of the three sons of Erik the Red, the first colonizer of Greenland, Leif sailed from Greenland to Norway shortly before 1000 to serve among the retainers at the court of Olaf I Tryggvason, who converted him to Christianity ...(100 of 344 words)

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