Editing Bjarni Herjólfsson

{{Short description|Norse explorer who saw America in 986}}
{{Norse colonization of North America}}{{Icelandic_name|Bjarni}}
'''Bjarni Herjólfsson''' ({{Floruit}} 10th century) was a [[Norsemen|Norse]]-[[Icelandic Commonwealth|Icelandic]] explorer who is believed to be the first known [[Europe]]an discoverer of the mainland of the [[Americas]], which he sighted in 986.

==Life==

Bjarni was born to [[Herjulf Bårdsson|Herjólfr]], son of Bárdi Herjólfsson ({{langx|non|Bárði}}), and Thorgerdr ({{langx|non|link=no|Þorgerðr}}) in [[Icelandic Commonwealth|Iceland]]. In adulthood, Bjarni became a merchant captain, based in [[Norway]], but visiting his father every summer in Greenland.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Bjarni Herjólfsson |url=https://www.bing.com:9943/search?q=Bjarni+Herj%C3%B3lfsson&cvid=aa454deeb75a48bca010591b8bb9f0d8&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBggAEEUYOzIGCAAQRRg7MgYIARBFGDkyBggCEAAYQDIGCAMQABhAMgYIBBAAGEAyBggFEAAYQDIGCAYQABhAMgYIBxAuGEAyBggIEEUYPNIBCDM5MjBqMGo0qAIIsAIB&FORM=ANAB01&PC=U531 |access-date=2024-05-10 |website=Bing |language=en}}</ref>

===Discovery of America===

Bjarni is believed to have been the first European to see North America. The ''[[Grœnlendinga saga]]'' (''Greenlanders Saga'') tells that one year he sailed to Iceland to visit his parents as usual, only to find that his father had gone with [[Erik the Red]] to [[Greenland]]. So he took his crew and set off to find him. But in that summer of 986, Bjarni, who had no map or compass or crew, was [[blown off course]] by a storm. He saw a piece of land that was not Greenland. It was covered with trees and mountains and although his crew begged him to, he refused to stop and look around. Since no one in his crew had been to Greenland before, they had to search for it.<ref name="Sullivan">Sullivan, Steve & Stephen Krensky. (1991) ''Who Really Discovered America?'', Hastingshouse/Daytrips Publ. p. 36. {{ISBN|0-8038-9306-X}}.</ref> Although he managed to regain his course, he reported seeing low-lying hills covered with forests some distance farther to the west. The land looked hospitable, but Bjarni was eager to reach Greenland to see his parents and did not land and explore the new lands. Eventually arriving in Greenland, he decided to settle with his father in [[Herjolfsnes (Norse Greenland)|Herjolfsnes]]. He reported his findings in Greenland but no one showed much interest in them until Bjarni returned to Norway after his father's death.<ref>(1997) ''The Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates 10th Edition'', Collins. {{ISBN|0-06-270192-4}}.</ref>

==Legacy==
After his voyage, word spread of the lands to the west he had seen, creating great intrigue throughout the Nordic Empire. Bjarni was both celebrated for his discoveries and chided—famously by Earl [[Eric Haakonsson|Eric]]—for his lack of investigation.  Professor [[Tryggvi Julius Oleson|Tryggvi J. Oleson]] of the University of Manitoba stated "There are strong arguments for the view that the three lands seen by Bjarni were Newfoundland, Labrador, and Baffin Island."<ref>[http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/bjarni_herjolfsson_1E.html Oleson, T.J. "Bjarni, Hejólfsson”, ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography''] vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 1979, accessed May 16, 2015</ref><ref name=":0" />

Greenlanders took special interest in his discoveries, and, as they lacked timber, became allured by the wooded coastline Bjarni reported sighting.<ref>Kudeba, N. (2014, April 19).  [http://www.thehistoryofcanadapodcast.com/norse-explorers/ ''Chapter 5 – Norse Explorers from Erik the Red to Leif Erikson – Canadian Explorers''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508030929/http://www.thehistoryofcanadapodcast.com/norse-explorers/ |date=2014-05-08 }} Retrieved from The History of Canada.accessed August 13, 2006.</ref> Soon afterwards, [[Leif Erikson]] (Old Norse: ''Leifr Eiríksson''),  the son of Greenland leader Erik the Red, bought the ship that Bjarni had used for the voyage, hired a crew of 35 people, and set out to retrace Bjarni's journey. The result is thought to be the [[Viking]] settlement at [[L'Anse aux Meadows]] in [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]]. This is the first known attempt at settlement by Europeans on the Americas.

==In fiction==
The main character, also named Bjarni, in the ''[[Cultures: Discovery of Vinland|Cultures]]'' video game series is based on Herjólfsson.

The main character, Barney Hendrickson, of ''[[The Technicolor Time Machine]]'' realizes that he is Bjarni, his name having undergone some alterations to become more typical Norse over the generations.

==References==
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==Related reading==
*[[Tryggvi Julius Oleson|Oleson,  Tryggvi J.]], [https://cha-shc.ca/_uploads/5c38a93b5420f.pdf ''The Norsemen in America''  (Ottawa: Canadian Historical Association, 1963) (CHA Historical Booklet No. 14)].
*Oleson, Tryggvi J., ''Early Voyages and Northern Approaches 1000-1632'', Volume 1 of the [[Canadian Centenary Series]] (Toronto:  [[McClelland & Stewart]], 1963;  re-issue with additional material, 1968).

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bjarni Herjolfsson}}
[[Category:10th-century Norwegian people]]
[[Category:Scandinavian explorers of North America]]
[[Category:Explorers of Canada]]
[[Category:Icelandic explorers]]
[[Category:10th-century Icelandic people]]
[[Category:Viking explorers]]
[[Category:Baffin Island]]
[[Category:Viking Age in Canada]]
[[Category:10th-century explorers]]
[[Category:10th-century Vikings]]
[[Category:Norse colonization of North America]]