Background
Leif Erikkson was, according to several historic resources, born somewhere between the year of 950 or 960. Most probably he was born in the years from 960 to 969. Leif was the son of Erik Thorvaldsson (Eiríkr Þorvaldsson), better known as Erik the Red, who was a Viking from Norway. His mothers' name was Thjodhild. His grandfather was Thorvaldr Ásvaldsson. Leif Erikkson had three siblings - brothers Thorsteinn and Thorvaldr, and a sister called Freydís. The distant relative of Leif Erikkson was Naddodd. Leif's distant relative Naddodd is proclaimed as the man who had discovered the Iceland.
There is no clear information in any of Norse sagas regarding what the place of birth of Leif Erikkson was. Some historians suppose that his place of birth was the land his relative Naddodd discovered - the Iceland. There is a story about how the parents of Leif Erikkson met. The story says that it is best possible that his parents have met near the bay of Breiðafjörður. The family of Leif Erikkson lived on a farm called Haukadal. Leif's father, Eiríkr Þorvaldsson, was deported from Norway because he was accused of killing a man. He settled in Iceland together with his son Erik the Red, Leif's father.
However, in Iceland Erik the Red and his father, Erik Thorvaldsson (Eiríkr Þorvaldsson), experienced hardships there. They were expelled from Iceland. They had to go west from Iceland. They have reached a land which was later named Greenland by Erik the Red. That is how the father of Leif Erikkson was considered to be the first settler of Greenland in the year of 986. Leif Errikson was raised in Greenland. According to the Viking rules, Leif Erikkson did not grow up in his family. At his age of eight years old, Leif went to the home of a man whose name was Thyrker. The man, Thyrker, was the personal slave of Leif's dad, Erik the Red.
Thyrker was from Germany, where Erik the Red made him a slave while he was on his journey through Germany.When Leif was 12 years old, and after spending four years with Thyrker, he came back to his dad's house. When the time of Spring came in Iceland, Leif's dad was called to participate in the lawnmaking assembly called Thingvellir. Erik the Red also took his son, Leif, to the assembly. After the first day of Thingvellir assembly, Erik the Red got into a fight with a man who didn't pay his dues to him. Erik was furious, and he got the man killed. The members of the Thingvellir Council were angry at Erik the Red, and they made orders to banish Erik the Red and his family - wife Thjodhild, sons Leif Erikkson, Thorvaldr, Thorsteinn, daughter Freydís. Erik the Red also took his slaves with him as his companions after he was banished from Iceland. Erik was undecisive where should he head out to and settle.
He knew that he could settle in Norway because he was also banished from Norway. As a good leader and commander, he ordered his family and slaves to head out together with him to the unexplored lands west from the Iceland. Erik settled together with his family in a new land he gave name Greenland. Although the sail from Iceland to the newly found Greenland was long, it all paid out to both Erik the Red and his son, Leif Erikkson. The voyage paid out to Erik the Great because he found out a new land and named it Greenland. The trip also paid out to Erik's son Leif and the reason for that is he learned how to be a good commander of the ship. When Leif Erikkson settled together with his dad and the rest of his family in the newly founded Greenland, they had a better life than they had back in Iceland. During the first years of settlement in Greenland, Erik the Red was exploring Greenland. In his spare time, when he wasn't exploring the huge island of Greenland, he would teach his beloved son Leif Erikkson many things essential for later life. After three years spent in Greenland, Leif sailed back to Iceland to tell to the native people of Iceland about Greenlands. After his speeches on Greenland, many people sailed together with Leif to Greenland.
