The Complicated Legacy Of Freydís Eiríksdóttir
North Wind Picture Archives/Alamy Stock PhotoFreydís defending her Norse people from Native Americans.
Freydís Eiríksdóttir is one of the most puzzling people in Viking history, with two conflicting Norse sagas painting radically different portraits of her character.
The daughter of Erik the Red and half-sister to Leif Erikson, Eiríksdóttir was likely born around 970 C.E. As Erik’s illegitimate daughter born to an unknown woman, however, she lacked her half-brother’s prestige. Despite this, she allegedly accompanied the Viking expedition to Vinland around 1000 C.E., possibly helping establish the community at L’Anse aux Meadows.
The Saga of the Greenlanders portrays Eiríksdóttir in a dark light. This saga describes her as haughty, claiming she married her husband primarily for his wealth. It states that on the Vinland expedition, she agreed with her brothers Helgi and Finnbogi to each bring thirty fighting men, but secretly added five extra warriors to gain an advantage. When tensions arose, she manipulated her husband by falsely claiming her brothers had attacked her, prompting him to slaughter them and their men.
And when her husband hesitated to kill the women in the group, Eiríksdóttir took an ax and killed all five herself. Word eventually reached Leif Erikson, ruining her reputation and leaving her an outcast.
Wikimedia CommonsThe remains of Norse houses at L’anse Aux Meadows.
That said, The Saga of Erik the Red tells a completely different story.
In this version, when Indigenous people attacked the camp while Eiríksdóttir was eight months pregnant, she chastised the fleeing men and grabbed a dead warrior’s sword. Facing the attackers, she beat her naked breast with the sword, frightening the invaders into retreat — a display of courage and defiance that belies her cunning cruelty in the other saga.
That said, there is also the matter of whether Eiríksdóttir actually existed at all, given that any information about her comes from Norse legends. The contradictory portrayals of her could also reflect different cultural values or perhaps even Christian propaganda.
Either way, the story of Freydís Eiríksdóttir is a fascinating example of how history remembers powerful women.
