The Listening Grove · Viking Tales
Chapter 13: Eric the Red
A Charlotte Mason history read-aloud lesson. Press play, with the lesson.
What is Viking Tales Chapter 13, Eric the Red, about?Parent review
Viking Tales Chapter 13, Eric the Red, carries the story farther west. At a spring meeting of Iceland's freemen, the red-haired, quarrelsome Eric is outlawed after killing men in a fight. Back home, he decides to sail west to find the white, shining land that Gunnbiorn once glimpsed after being blown off course, and more than half his men pledge to follow. Warned that his foe Thorgest means to seize him, Eric hides with his friend Eyjolf while the ship is made ready, then sets out west with his wife Thorhild and his sons Thorstein and Leif. After crossing fog and icebergs and fighting a strong current, they reach a bare, icy coast, winter there hunting bear and seal, and after four years Eric returns to Iceland. To draw settlers, he gives the land the inviting name Greenland, and ships follow him back to build new homes along the fiords.
Say what you remember!
Tell what you remember from the last chapter.
What happened in Viking Tales Chapter 12, Homes in Iceland?Have a look
In Chapter 12, Homes in Iceland, foster-brothers Ingolf and Leif fled Norway after a deadly quarrel and chose the empty island of Iceland, despite old Sighvat's warnings. After four months at sea they reached it and wintered there. Ingolf resolved to settle, and they returned for their families while Leif raided Ireland for wealth and thralls. Sailing back, Ingolf cast his high-seat pillars overboard to let Thor guide his home. A storm parted the ships, and Leif was killed by his Irish thralls, whom Ingolf hunted down, recovering Helga. After three years the pillars were found, and Ingolf settled there, naming the place Reykjavik.
Read the previous lesson: Homes in Iceland →Show what you know!
Use your printable Lesson Guide. Fill in the vocabulary you know, then click to check your work and learn some new words today.
What are the difficult or advanced vocabulary words in Viking Tales Chapter 13, Eric the Red?scowled, current, fringe, launchedHave a look
- scowled: frowned in an angry way
- current: water moving strongly in one direction
- fringe: the outer edge or border of something
- launched: set a boat afloat on the water
Locate it on the map!
Use your printable Lesson Guide. Use an atlas and fill in the blank map if you can find the geographic location, then click to check your work.
What important geographic locations connect with Viking Tales Chapter 13, Eric the Red?
- Find Greenland: Sailing west from Iceland, Eric found a great icy land and named it Greenland.
See these places on the mapHave a look
These match the map in your Lesson Guide.
The Books come Alive!
Read or listen to Chapter 13 of Viking Tales, the Kindred Thicket Enhanced Edition, read by Faerie Book Mama.
Read by Faerie Book Mama for LibriVox (public domain), professionally adjusted and trimmed by Kindred Thicket.
What historical context goes with Chapter 13 of Viking Tales?Parent review
This is a Kindred Thicket Enhanced Edition. Jennie Hall’s 1902 words are read exactly as she wrote them, and we add Teacher’s Notes with historical and cultural context.
- About the whole bookViking Tales is Jennie Hall’s 1902 retelling of old Norse stories drawn from the sagas, such as the Heimskringla and the Vinland sagas. These weave real history together with legend, so the tales are best enjoyed as saga tradition rather than exact history.
- This chapterMost sources say 25 ships set out for Greenland and 14 arrived, not the 35 and 15 the story gives. It is a small difference in the numbers.
Memory becomes Action!
Use the Response Resource* to remember and spell tricky names. Choose one way to narrate.
*Materials in the Lesson Guide.
What is the list of names, people, characters, and places that are important in Chapter 13 of Viking Tales?Eric the Red, Greenland, Thorgest, Gunnbiorn, Thorhild, Eyjolf, Iceland, Leif and ThorsteinHave a look
- Eric the Red: A big, red-haired, quarrelsome chief, outlawed from Norway and Iceland, who discovers and settles Greenland.
- Greenland: The icy land Eric explores and names to tempt settlers; today the world's largest island.
- Thorgest: Eric's powerful enemy in Iceland.
- Gunnbiorn: The earlier sailor who first glimpsed the far icy land.
- Thorhild: Eric's wife.
- Eyjolf: Eric's loyal friend, who shelters him from his foes.
- Iceland: The land Eric is outlawed from and later recruits settlers in.
- Leif and Thorstein: Eric's two young sons.
Chapter 13 Q & A
This is a Kindred Thicket Enhanced Edition. We keep Jennie Hall’s 1902 words as written and add historical context. Here are common questions about this chapter.
What happens in Chapter 13 of Viking Tales?
In Chapter 13, Eric the Red, the quarrelsome Eric is outlawed from Iceland for killing men in a fight. He decides to sail west to a land glimpsed by Gunnbiorn, hides from his foe Thorgest while preparing, then crosses fog and icebergs with his family. After wintering there and returning to Iceland, he names the land Greenland and leads settlers back.
Who is Eric the Red in Viking Tales?
Eric the Red is a bold, red-haired, hot-tempered Norseman who is outlawed from Iceland in Chapter 13. Rather than give up, he sails west, discovers a new land, and names it Greenland to attract settlers. He is the father of Leif Ericsson, who reaches Wineland in the following chapters. Eric's story shows the Norse spirit of exploration.
Why did Eric name it Greenland in Viking Tales?
Eric names the icy land Greenland in Chapter 13 on purpose, choosing an inviting name so that other people will want to settle there. The land he found was bare and icy, not green, but the appealing name helped draw ships of settlers to follow him back. It is an early example of naming a place to encourage migration.
How many ships sailed to Greenland in Viking Tales?
Viking Tales says thirty-five ships set out for Greenland and fifteen arrived, the rest turned back by storms and fear. Most historical sources give slightly different numbers, about twenty-five ships setting out and fourteen arriving, a small difference from the story's figures. The Kindred Thicket Teacher's Notes point out these kinds of details for parents.
What was the freemen's meeting in Viking Tales?
The freemen's meeting in Chapter 13 is Iceland's assembly, where free men gathered each spring to make laws and settle disputes. It is at this meeting that Eric the Red is outlawed for killing men in a fight. This early form of self-government is an important part of Norse Iceland, and the Teacher's Notes offer helpful background.