DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR ERIK THE RED

Everybody knows Leif Eriksson; Yeah, that's right, he is the guy who discovered Vinland...

Well, today we honour his father, Erik Thorvaldsson, better known as Erik the Red. Erik lived a life filled with struggle and adversity. His family was exiled from Norway when he was a young man. They traveled to Iceland and settled, but Erik's father passed away soon after.

Erik married a young lady in Iceland from a good family and set about creating a good life. And yet the Norns had far more in store for him. An altercation between neighbors led to him being exiled for several murders..... while in exile another altercation resulted in more violence and yet another exile.....It's probably time to just clear out when you are exiled from your exile...

Erik headed off into the unknown in search of a new land rumored to exist farther to the west of Iceland. Here he discovered a land that was mostly uninhabitable.... alot of rock and ice, but with a few areas that might sustain a farm or 3. After a few years exploring this new land he came back to Iceland and spread the word that he was seeking men and women to settle a new colony in a place he had discovered. He gave this new place the name of Greenland(Erik might be the ancestor of a used car salesman or two I've met) because it would sound more attractive to potential new settlers.

The Greenland colony took off and soon had a good number of folk there with Erik as their chieftain.

Many know Erik's son Leif and his famous adventures, but it was truly his father, Erik, and his refusal to yield.... It was his drive and perseverance, that inspired his children to be strong and courageous. It was Erik who remained a devout heathen even as his family was embracing a new way. It is Erik who serves as a role model for us today, all these many years later, to do more and to achieve more! To never surrender no matter what the Norns may weave your way.

Hail Erik Thorvaldsson!

Hail Erik the Red!