Atlas: Expeditions Through Time

Person

Thorfinn Karlsefni

Icelandic merchant and voyager associated by the sagas with an attempted settlement expedition to Vinland.

Lifespanfl. early 11th century
Rolesmerchant, voyager, expedition leader

Related expeditions

1000–1021

Norse Voyages to Vinland

Around the year 1000, Norse seafarers travelled from Greenland to lands west of the Labrador Sea. The Icelandic sagas associate several voyages with Leif Erikson, Thorfinn Karlsefni, and Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir, while archaeology securely demonstrates a Norse presence at L’Anse aux Meadows.

Sources and further reading

  1. The Saga of Vinland, Parks Canada. Official contextual account comparing the Vinland sagas with archaeology and identifying the uncertainty around named voyages and places.
Open in the interactive atlas