Freydís Eiríksdóttir facts for kids

Freydís Eiríksdóttir was a strong Norse woman born around 970. She was the daughter of Erik the Red, a famous Viking explorer. Freydís played an important part in the Norse journeys to North America, especially in a place called Vinland. Her brother, Leif Erikson, is often remembered as the first European to reach North America. We learn about Freydís from two old stories called the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Erik the Red. These stories tell different things about her, but both show her as a brave and determined woman.

The Saga of the Greenlanders

This story gives us the most famous account of Freydís. It says she was Leif Erikson's full sister.

After her brothers, Leif and Þorvaldr Eiríksson, and another explorer named Þorfinnr Karlsefni, had successful trips to Vinland, Freydís wanted to go too. She wanted the fame and wealth that came from exploring new lands.

Freydís made a deal with two Icelandic brothers, Helgi and Finnbogi. They agreed to go to Vinland together and share any profits equally. Freydís asked her brother Leif if they could use the homes and stables he had built in Vinland. Leif agreed that everyone could use the houses.

Helgi and Finnbogi promised to bring the same number of men and supplies as Freydís. However, Freydís secretly brought more men on her ship. When Helgi and Finnbogi arrived first, they settled into the houses. But when Freydís arrived, she told them to move out. She said the houses belonged to her brother and were meant for her. This was the start of many problems between Freydís and the brothers.

In Vinland, there was a lot of tension between the two groups. Helgi and Finnbogi set up their own camp away from Freydís and her crew. One day, Freydís went to their hut and asked how they were doing. The brothers said they were well but didn't like the bad feelings between them. For a short time, they made peace.

However, when Freydís returned to her husband, she claimed that Helgi and Finnbogi had treated her badly. She called her husband a coward and demanded that he get revenge for her. She even threatened to divorce him if he didn't. Her husband gathered his men and attacked Helgi and Finnbogi's camp while they were sleeping. He killed the brothers and their men. When he refused to harm the five women in the camp, Freydís herself made sure they were dealt with.

To keep her actions a secret, Freydís threatened to kill anyone who spoke about the killings. After staying in Vinland for a year, she went back to Greenland. She told her brother Leif that Helgi and Finnbogi had decided to stay in Vinland.

But eventually, word of the killings reached Leif. He forced three men from Freydís's trip to confess what had happened. Leif was very upset by his sister's actions. However, he did not punish Freydís directly. He said he didn't want to do to his sister what she deserved. Still, he believed that Freydís's family would not have much success in the future. The story ends by saying that everyone thought badly of her family after that.

The Saga of Erik the Red

The Saga of Erik the Red was written after The Saga of the Greenlanders. This story also shows Freydís as a strong and important woman. In this saga, she is described as Leif Erikson's half-sister.

Freydís joined an expedition to Vinland led by Þorfinnr Karlsefni. She is only mentioned once in this story. This happened when the expedition was attacked by native people, who were called Skrælingjar in Icelandic. The natives used "war-slings, or catapults" and attacked the camp quietly at night. They shot at the Viking warriors.

Many of the Norse explorers panicked because they had never seen such weapons. As the men ran away in confusion, Freydís, who was eight months pregnant, bravely spoke to them. She said: "Why do you run away from such weak creatures, strong men that you are? It seems to me you could easily defeat them. Just give me a weapon, and I know I could fight better than any of you."

No one listened to her. So, Freydís picked up the sword of a fallen warrior named Thorbrand Snorrisson. She then faced the attacking natives. Her actions were so surprising that the natives retreated to their boats and fled. Karlsefni and the other survivors praised her great courage.

In popular culture

• Frida Gustavsson played Freydís in the 2022 Netflix series Vikings: Valhalla.
• Joan Clark's 2002 book Eriksdottir: A Tale of Dreams and Luck features Freydís as the main character.
• Australian children's author Jackie French included Freydís as a character in her 2005 book They Came on Viking Ships.
• William Vollmann's book, The Ice Shirt, is partly about Freydís in Vinland.
• Freydís is the main bad guy in the 2021 book Spirits of the Ice Forest by Australian author Max Davine.
• Katia Winter played Freydís in the superhero TV series DC's Legends of Tomorrow in episodes "Beebo the God of War" and "The Good, the Bad, and the Cuddly".
• Freydís is a main character in Johanna Valkama's book The Red Queen (Finnish title: Jäävuonon Ruusu, meaning "Rose from the Ice Fjord"). It tells about her journey to Vinland.
• In the book Daughter of a Thousand Years by Amalia Carosella, Freydís is at the center of one of two storylines.
• A special two-ounce silver coin was made for the country of Niue in May 2021. It shows Freydís bravely stepping ashore from a longship.
• The 2019 book Civilisations by Laurent Binet starts with a made-up story about Freydís. This book imagines a different reality where Freydís and her crew sail down the American continent. They meet many Mesoamerican cultures and introduce things like ironworking and advanced shipbuilding.

See also

In Spanish: Freydís Eiríksdóttir para niños