Resumen
Resumen de La saga de Eirik el Rojo
Para quién es
For readers who love early exploration, Viking history, and short, plain storytelling with real tension. It also suits anyone curious about how Vinland entered history.
De qué trata este libro
Eirik the Red's Saga is an Icelandic prose tale about the Norse settlement of Greenland and the first voyages from there to a western land called Vinland. An unknown author wrote it down in the thirteenth century, about two hundred years after the events it describes. It survives in two medieval manuscripts, and John Sephton gave it to English readers in his translation of 1880. It is one of two sagas that tell of Norse landings in North America, and it is the one with the fuller account of the people who made the journeys.
You get a story of feuds, exile, hunger, new faith and long sea voyages, told in a plain and steady voice. Families matter here as much as ships do. Choices made over a borrowed wooden post in Iceland lead, step by step, to a coast no European had settled. The tale begins with a man named Eirik and the trouble that follows his family from Norway. That is where we start.
En este resumen
- 1A family of exiles seeks new landFree
- 2Eirik names Greenland to win settlers
- 3Leif brings a new faith and a new coast
- 4Hunger, a seeress, and the arrival of Gudrid
- 5Karlsefni leads a colony to Vinland
- 6What the saga says about courage and belief
- 7A plain voice, family trees, and sea routes
Idea clave 1 de 7
A family of exiles seeks new land
The saga opens with a chain of departures. A man named Thorvald, father of Eirik, leaves Norway after killings there and takes his family to Iceland. Land in the best districts is already claimed, so they settle in a poor and remote corner of the northwest. The tale is clear from the start that people in this world move because they must, not because they wish to.
Thorvald dies, and Eirik, nicknamed the Red, grows up to be a hard and stubborn man. He marries, farms, and builds a household. Like his father, he is quick to anger and slow to forgive. The author gives us these traits in a few brief strokes, and they explain much of what follows.
Trouble arrives through a borrowed object. Eirik lends some valuable carved posts, the pillars of a seat of honor, to a neighbor, and then has difficulty getting them back. The dispute grows from words to blows, and killings follow on both sides. This is how feuds work in the sagas. A small matter of property turns into a matter of honor, and then into a matter of blood.
The local assembly, called the Thing, judges the case and outlaws Eirik. Outlawry means he is cut off from the protection of the law and must leave. He prepares a ship and announces that he means to search for a land that others have glimpsed in the west. The first great movement of the story begins with a man driven out, not a man drawn on by dreams.
That’s 1 of 7 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
- Nothing to pay today · Renews every year
- We email you before you pay
- Cancel online in two clicks
Who’s who
- Eirik the Red
- An Icelandic chieftain driven into exile, Eirik is the father of Leif and Freydis and leads settlers to Greenland.
- Leif Eiriksson
- Eirik's son visits King Olaf in Norway and accepts the task of bringing Christianity to Greenland.
- Gudrid
- An Icelandic woman who travels with her father, Gudrid connects the families and voyages at the saga's heart.
- Thorfinn Karlsefni
- A wealthy Icelandic trader, Karlsefni becomes Gudrid's husband and leads an expedition seeking a settlement in Vinland.
- Thorbjorg
- A respected seeress, Thorbjorg visits a Greenland household during famine and draws Gudrid into a prophetic ceremony.
- Freydis
- Eirik's strong-willed daughter and Leif's sister, Freydis joins the expedition to Vinland alongside Karlsefni and Gudrid.
- Thorhall the Hunter
- A follower of the pagan gods, Thorhall joins Karlsefni's expedition but disagrees with others about where to explore.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 10,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 40 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 11 other languages
Questions about La saga de Eirik el Rojo
What is Eirik the Red's Saga about?
It tells how Eirik the Red, outlawed from Iceland, settles Greenland, and how his family and others then sail to Vinland. It follows feuds, faith, hunger, and a large colonizing expedition led by Thorfinn Karlsefni and Gudrid.
Is Eirik the Red's Saga a true story?
It is based on real people and events, but it was written down about two hundred years later in thirteenth century Iceland. Historians treat it as a mix of memory and storytelling, and it is not a strict record.
Why did Eirik call it Greenland?
The saga says he chose the name because he believed people would be more willing to go there if the land had an attractive name. It is a sign of his skill at persuading others.
What is the difference between Eirik the Red's Saga and the Greenlanders' Saga?
Both tell of Norse voyages to Vinland, but they differ on who found it first and on details of the journeys. Eirik's saga gives more attention to Karlsefni and Gudrid.
Is Eirik the Red's Saga hard to read?
No. The prose is plain and short, and the story moves quickly. The main thread follows only a few key people.