She was pregnant when she set foot in America, and she chased the natives alone with her sword: Who is Freydis Eriksdottir?

There is limited information about Freydis, daughter of Erik the Red. Despite this, it is possible to say that Freydis is a Viking who "follows in her father's footsteps." According to the epic about the Vikings' discovery of America, Freydis was with her brother Leif Erikson during the discovery of America.

After Freydis Eiriksdottir landed in America, she started chasing the natives alone with her sword in her hand! Moreover, she was pregnant at this time!

Freydis Eriksdottir is known as a controversial figure in history. According to some sources, she is depicted as a fearless, strong-willed, and strong female warrior, while in other sources she is referred to as a cruel and evil person. Freydis' story shows how women in the Viking Age were positioned in a world full of strength and courage.

Freydís Eiríksdóttir (born c. 965) was an Icelandic woman said to be the daughter of Erik the Red (as in her patronym), who figured prominently in the Norse exploration of North America as an early colonist of Vinland, while her brother, Leif Erikson, is credited in early histories of the region with the first European contact. The medieval and primary sources that mention Freydís are the two Vinland sagas: the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Erik the Red. The two sagas offer differing accounts, though Freydís is portrayed in both as a strong woman.

In The Legend of Erik the Red, Freydis joins a group traveling to Vinland. She defends her comrades and saves them against the attack of the locals with the sword she took from an enemy. This incident is a narrative that shows that she is a brave and defensive character.

In the Greenland Saga, Freydis travels to Vinland with her husband and two brothers. However, she does not like her siblings and finds them arrogant. She makes her husband and his men kill her brothers.

Freydís Eiríksdóttir appears in two Icelandic sagas, once as saviour and once as villain – and despite that, she may not have even existed. Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir considers what we know (and don’t know) about the Viking-era explorer who appears in new Netlflix series Vikings Valhalla. (Photo from the Netflix series.)

The story of Freydis Eriksdottir is open to different interpretations because it is contradictory. But she is remembered as an important Viking woman in history. She shows that women can play an active role in war and exploration.

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Freydis Eiriksdottir – Legend of a Viking Woman

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