Today is a day of remembrance for Erik the Red, a Norse explorer. Here are ten facts about him:
His actual name was Erik Thorvaldsson, and probably got the nickname of Erik the Red because he had red hair, although there is a theory that he earned the name through having a hot temper.
Erik Thorvaldsson was born in Rogaland, Norway in 950 CE, the son of Thorvald Asvaldsson. The family lived there until Erik was 10, at which time Thorvald was convicted of manslaughter and sent into exile. Thorvald and his family then settled in Hornstrandir in north-west Iceland.
Erik married a woman called Thjodhild and had four children with her: three sons, Leif, Thorvald and Thorstein, and a daughter, Freydís.
Like his father, Erik got himself exiled. Some of his workers caused a landslide on his neighbour’s farm. One of the neighbour’s relatives, Eyjolf the Foul, killed the workers responsible for the landslide, so Erik killed him. Sent into exile, Erik settled in Oxney, in West Iceland.
And then got exiled from there as well. While building a house for himself and his family, he left a sacred wooden beam with carvings called a setstokkr with a man called Thorgest for safe keeping. When the house was finished, Erik went to get his setstokkr back, but Thorgest claimed he no longer had it. So Erik killed him, and several of Thorgest’s sons and allies as well when the argument escalated. It was at this point that Erik decided to sail for Greenland.
Erik is sometimes credited with discovering Greenland, but that isn’t the case. That accolade goes to a man called Gunnbjörn Ulfsson who came upon Greenland by complete accident some time before. Another man named Snæbjörn Galti tried, unsuccessfully, to settle Greenland. What Erik is famous for is establishing the first successful colony on Greenland, which lasted for 500 years.
It was Erik who gave Greenland its name. The name was essentially a somewhat dishonest sales pitch to entice people to come and join his colony. He was suggesting it was a green and fertile place rather than being covered in Snow and ice.
At least two of Erik’s sons became explorers in their own right. Leif Erikson was one of the first Europeans to reach North America, and Thorvald followed in his footsteps and explored there, too. It didn’t go well for Thorvald, though. He fell out with the native people and became “the first European to die in North America.” Little is known about the life of the third son, Thorstein, except that he sailed to America to collect his brother’s body and died there. The daughter, Freydis, was a strong-willed woman. She followed her brothers to America. On one occasion the native Americans, known to the Norsemen as skraelings, attacked a settlement and were winning the battle when Freydis, despite being eight months pregnant, grabbed a sword herself, claiming she could fight better than her less than courageous countrymen. It’s alleged that her actions actually scared off the skraelings.
When Thjodhild converted to Christianity, a religion brought home by Leif, Erik wasn’t happy at all, as he was a devout follower of the Norse gods. When he complained, Thjodhild retaliated by denying him any more marital relations.
Erik died from being superstitious. Leif invited his father to go along on his exploratory journey to the Americas. Erik was all set to go, but on the way to the ship, his Horse threw him. Erik took this as a bad omen and decided not to go, and died in an epidemic at home the following winter.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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