Dr. Eleanor Barraclough

Yeah, mostly farming. You've got to eat before you can go and steal. I'd bully that guy.

Yeah, mostly farming. You've got to eat before you can go and steal. I'd bully that guy.

Most Vikings aren't Vikings. Yeah, and that idea in the 19th century gets expanded and Viking becomes a sort of catch-all term for that early medieval Nordic diaspora.

Most Vikings aren't Vikings. Yeah, and that idea in the 19th century gets expanded and Viking becomes a sort of catch-all term for that early medieval Nordic diaspora.

So Leif, he's probably born in, I don't know, something like 975, 980 in Iceland. He's a character mostly in two of these sagas. One's called Greinlendingarsaga, which means the saga of the Greenlanders. And the other one is Erik Saga Roida, which is the saga of Erik the Red.

So Leif, he's probably born in, I don't know, something like 975, 980 in Iceland. He's a character mostly in two of these sagas. One's called Greinlendingarsaga, which means the saga of the Greenlanders. And the other one is Erik Saga Roida, which is the saga of Erik the Red.

Now, together, they're known as the Vinland sagas because Vinland is the Old Norse word for that part of North America, the edge of the continent that the Norse, spoiler alert, do reach around the year 1000 or so. And Leif seems to be a very big part of that.

Now, together, they're known as the Vinland sagas because Vinland is the Old Norse word for that part of North America, the edge of the continent that the Norse, spoiler alert, do reach around the year 1000 or so. And Leif seems to be a very big part of that.

But Leif, his dad is called Eric the Red, but he's Leif Erikson because of that. The saga's like him. He's described as promising, tall, handsome, moderate in his behaviour, in stark contrast to his father.

But Leif, his dad is called Eric the Red, but he's Leif Erikson because of that. The saga's like him. He's described as promising, tall, handsome, moderate in his behaviour, in stark contrast to his father.

Yes. The historian's answer is, depending on your definition of historical.

Yes. The historian's answer is, depending on your definition of historical.

There you go. Just covering all the bases.

There you go. Just covering all the bases.

Yeah, I mean, you're looking for other evidence. So, for example, the Vinland Sagas, these two sagas featuring Leif, they were actually the basis for archaeologists in the 60s, realising that actually the Norse had reached the edge of the North American continent, and then they find the archaeological evidence there. And sometimes you've got to think of them in a different sense.

Yeah, I mean, you're looking for other evidence. So, for example, the Vinland Sagas, these two sagas featuring Leif, they were actually the basis for archaeologists in the 60s, realising that actually the Norse had reached the edge of the North American continent, and then they find the archaeological evidence there. And sometimes you've got to think of them in a different sense.

So it's not just a case of, OK, let's sift out the history from the fiction. We've got to think of them as essentially a kind of cultural storytelling, remnants of how this particular culture thought about the world and their place within it. And in fact, the word saga comes from an old Norse verb, atseja, to say, to tell.

So it's not just a case of, OK, let's sift out the history from the fiction. We've got to think of them as essentially a kind of cultural storytelling, remnants of how this particular culture thought about the world and their place within it. And in fact, the word saga comes from an old Norse verb, atseja, to say, to tell.

So he's born in Norway and then he's forced to leave Norway because of some killings. How they put it in the stock. Okay.

So he's born in Norway and then he's forced to leave Norway because of some killings. How they put it in the stock. Okay.