[Sidenote: =The Northmen discover Iceland and Greenland=]
=1. The Voyages of the Northmen.= The Northmen were a bold seafaring
people who lived in northern Europe hundreds of years ago. Some of
the very boldest once sailed so far to the west that they reached the
shores of Iceland and Greenland, where many of them settled. Among
these were Eric the Red and his son Leif Ericson.
Now Leif had heard of a land to the south of Greenland from some
Northmen who had been driven far south in a great storm. He determined
to set out in search of it. After sailing for many days he reached the
shore of this New World (A. D. 1000). There he found vines with grapes
on them growing so abundantly that he called the new land Vinland, a
country of grapes.
Leif's discovery caused great excitement among his people. Some of
them could hardly wait until the winter was over, and the snow and ice
broken up, so as to let their ships go out to this new land.
This time Thorvald, one of Leif's brothers, led the expedition. On
reaching land, as they stepped ashore, he exclaimed: "It is a fair
region and here I should like to make my home." But Thorvald was
killed in a battle with the Indians and was buried where he had wanted
to build his home. The Northmen continued to visit the new land, but
finally the Indians became so unfriendly that the Northmen went away
and never came again.