The Listening Grove · Viking Tales
Chapter 14: Leif and His New Land
A Charlotte Mason history read-aloud lesson. Press play, with the lesson.
What is Viking Tales Chapter 14, Leif and His New Land, about?Parent review
Viking Tales Chapter 14, Leif and His New Land, follows Eric's grown son on a famous voyage. After fifteen years in Greenland, Leif sails to Norway to see the mother land and its king. King Olaf, great-grandson of Harald Hairfair, who has been dead a hundred years, notices the impressive stranger, hosts him for the winter, and sends him home with two thralls. Blown far south by a north wind on the return, Leif reaches an unknown, fertile, wooded land. His German companion Tyrker, delighted, finds wild grapes growing there. Leif loads his ship with timber and tows a boat full of grapes, naming the country Wineland for the grapes. He returns safely to Greenland, to Eric's joy, and tells of Wineland. He also notices two newcomers, Thorbiorn and his wise, beautiful daughter Gudrid. Leif grows rich and does not sail back, but people keep talking of Wineland.
Say what you remember!
Tell what you remember from the last chapter.
What happened in Viking Tales Chapter 13, Eric the Red?Have a look
In Chapter 13, Eric the Red, the quarrelsome, red-haired Eric was outlawed from Iceland for killing men in a fight. He decided to sail west to find a white, shining land Gunnbiorn once glimpsed, and more than half his men pledged to follow. Warned that his foe Thorgest meant to seize him, Eric hid with his friend Eyjolf while the ship was readied, then set out with his wife and sons. After crossing fog, icebergs, and a strong current, they reached a bare, icy coast and wintered there. After four years Eric returned to Iceland and named the land Greenland, and ships followed him back to the fiords.
Read the previous lesson: Eric the Red →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 14, Leif and His New Land?fertile, keen-eyed, comrade, lumberHave a look
- fertile: rich land where many plants can grow
- keen-eyed: quick to see and notice things sharply
- comrade: a close friend or companion
- lumber: wood cut and made ready to use
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 14, Leif and His New Land?
- Find Newfoundland (Canada): Leif landed in a rich land he called Wineland. The one proven viking site sits on Newfoundland.
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 14 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 14 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.
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 14 of Viking Tales?Leif Ericson, Eric the Red, King Olaf, Tyrker, Wineland, Greenland, Gudrid, ThorbiornHave a look
- Leif Ericson: Eric the Red's son and explorer; the first European to reach North America, which he names Wineland.
- Eric the Red: Leif's father and the chief of Greenland.
- King Olaf: The king of Norway who hosts Leif; a great-grandson of Harald Hairfair.
- Tyrker: Leif's old German foster-father, who finds wild grapes in the new land.
- Wineland: The fertile, grape-rich land Leif names; later identified with Vinland in North America.
- Greenland: Leif's cold home, first settled by his father Eric.
- Gudrid: A beautiful, wise young woman newly come to Greenland.
- Thorbiorn: Gudrid's father, once a rich and honored man in Iceland.
Chapter 14 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 14 of Viking Tales?
In Chapter 14, Leif and His New Land, Eric's son Leif sails to Norway, where King Olaf hosts him for the winter. Blown off course on the way home, Leif reaches a fertile, wooded land. His companion Tyrker finds wild grapes, so Leif names it Wineland and sails home with timber and grapes. He also meets the newcomers Thorbiorn and Gudrid.
Who is Leif Ericsson in Viking Tales?
Leif Ericsson is the son of Eric the Red, and in Chapter 14 he reaches a new wooded land west of Greenland, which he names Wineland for its wild grapes. He is a different Leif from Ingolf's foster-brother in the Iceland chapter. Leif Ericsson is remembered as an early Norse voyager to the land later understood to be North America.
Why is the new land called Wineland in Viking Tales?
The new land is called Wineland in Chapter 14 because Leif's German companion Tyrker discovers wild grapes growing there. Wineland is Jennie Hall's spelling of the Norse name often written as Vinland. Leif fills his ship with timber and grapes and names the country for them. The name later became associated with the Norse voyages to North America.
Who is Tyrker in Viking Tales?
Tyrker is Leif's German companion in Chapter 14, who goes missing and then returns delighted, having found wild grapes growing in the new land. His discovery gives Leif the reason to name the country Wineland. Tyrker's excitement over the grapes is one of the memorable moments in the story of Leif's voyage of discovery.