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| Norse colonization of North America |
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 Leiv Eirikson Discovering America, 1893 painting byChristian Krohg |
Alleged artifacts |
Snæbjörn galti Hólmsteinsson (Modern Icelandic:[ˈstnaiːˌpjœ(r)tn̥ˈkal̥tɪˈhoulmˌsteinsˌsɔːn];Old Norse:Snæbjǫrn galti Hólmsteinsson[ˈsnɛːˌbjɔrnˈɡɑlteˈhoːlmˌstɛinsˌson]; c. 910 – c. 978) was anIcelandic explorer who was the first recorded person to intentionally lead an expedition toGreenland, traditionally dated to around 978 CE.[1][2]
His voyage followed the accidental sighting of lands west ofIceland byGunnbjörn Ulfsson, probably in the early 10th century. According to later Icelandic sources, Snæbjörn led the first attempt to establish a settlement on the eastern coast of Greenland, doing so beforeErik the Red. The attempt ended with failure: internal strife broke out among the settlers, Snæbjörn was killed, reportedly byÞorbjörn Glaum, and only a small number of colonists survived the return to Iceland. A saga describing this expedition is said to have existed, but it has not survived.[3]
Erik the Red later became the known successfulNorse settler of Greenland in the 980s, after spending three years exploring the west coast of Greenland during his exile from Iceland, as described in theSaga of Erik the Red.[4][5]