1 h 10 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when exile sends a family beyond the shores it knows?
Eirik the Red's Saga follows a family from feuds and exile toward Greenland and the western land called Vinland. Outlawed after a feud, Eirik finds a coast of ice, rock, and sheltered green pasture. He names it Greenland and leads settlers there. But finding land is only the beginning: hunger, family ties, and long sea voyages shape the struggle to make a home.
Leif Eiriksson brings Christianity to Greenland, while Gudrid's marriages and voyages connect the saga's journeys. The trader Thorfinn Karlsefni arrives in Greenland and falls in love with her; his expedition seeks a settlement in Vinland. Told in spare, steady prose, this Icelandic tale places new faith beside older beliefs and follows people whose choices carry them far from familiar ground.
What you’ll discover
- Exile and fresh beginnings Follow Eirik as a feud drives him toward Greenland and the work of settlement.
- Gudrid at the center Meet the wise, well-spoken woman whose marriages and voyages tie the tale together.
- Hunger and a prophecy Enter a hungry Greenland farm where the seeress Thorbjorg foretells when famine will end.
- The pull of Vinland Follow Karlsefni's expedition toward a western land and the challenge of building a settlement.
- A spare, steady voice Discover storytelling that lets deeds, family ties, and sea routes carry the tension.
Who will love it
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.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A family of exiles seeks new land
- Eirik names Greenland to win settlers
- Leif brings a new faith and a new coast
- Hunger, a seeress, and the arrival of Gudrid
- Karlsefni leads a colony to Vinland
- What the saga says about courage and belief
- A plain voice, family trees, and sea routes
Who’s who
- Eirik the RedA stubborn Icelandic chieftain, outlawed after a feud, who finds and names Greenland and leads its first settlers.
- Leif EirikssonEirik's son, who meets King Olaf in Norway, brings Christianity to Greenland, and is linked to the sighting of Vinland.
- GudridA wise and well-spoken Icelandic woman whose marriages and voyages tie the tale together, and whose fate the seeress foretells.
- Thorfinn KarlsefniA rich and capable Icelandic trader who marries Gudrid and leads a large expedition to settle in Vinland.
- ThorbjorgA seeress who visits a hungry farm in Greenland to foretell when the famine will end.
- FreydisEirik's strong-willed daughter, who joins the Vinland voyage and shows a harder side of the family's character.
- Thorhall the HunterA restless follower of the old gods who joins the Vinland expedition but wants to seek different land.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 1 h 10 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 9 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear La saga de Eirik el Rojo in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
La saga de Eirik el Rojo
by John Sephton (traductor) · 1250
A borrowed wooden post in Iceland sets Eirik's family on a course toward exile and new lands.
Medium levelUnder 2 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
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.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
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.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about La saga de Eirik el Rojo
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
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.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
