Leiv Eiriksson
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The Viking Leiv Eiriksson stands determined and looks out over the fjord here in Trondheim harbour, ready to discover and conquer new lands. Leiv set out from Trondheim harbor on his historic journey to North America in the year 1000. He thus probably became the first European to set foot on American soil, specifically Newfoundland on the east coast of Canada. He himself gave the country the name Vinland, which can mean "the land of the grasslands". Leiv was born in Iceland in the year 973 and was the son of Eirik Raude. The father became an outlaw in Iceland and had to flee. Leiv was then raised in Iceland by a knowledgeable man named Tyrke. Here he learned both language, runic writing, knowledge of nature and how to handle weapons. All this was knowledge Leiv took advantage of on his travels. Some will probably still claim that Christopher Columbus discovered America, and American school children still learn that. Later research shows that this is wrong, at least this is a widespread opinion here in Norway. Several dated finds in Newfoundland support this. Leiv Eriksson died in the year 1020, aged 50. The statue you see here is a copy of a similar statue that stands in Seattle and was made by August Werner.