Recent archaeological evidence has given credibility to Norse legends which say that Leif Erikkson, not Christopher Columbus, was the first European to reach North America. Many people are now aware of this fact and it can be found in most history textbooks. What many people do not realize is that Lief Erikson was not actually the first European to discover the New World. If we are to believe the same sources from which we get the story about Leif Eriksson and the Vinland colony, we must admit that Bjarni Herjolfsson was actually the first European to SEE the New World. His failure to do anything about his discovery represents one of the greatest missed opportunities in history.
In about 986AD, a merchant named Bjarni Herjlfssonn got lost at sea while on his way to Greenland. He was from Norway, but was on his way to visit his parents when his ship encountered a great storm. After weathering a storm that lasted several days and blew his small ship far off course, the weather finally cleared. When it did, Bjarni and his crew could see land. It was not, however, a landmass they was familiar with. It had hills and forests in contrast to the mountains and glaciers of Greenland. His crew, still shaken from the storm they had survived and realizing the opportunity they had to be the first to see this new land, begged Bjarni to allow them to go to shore. He refused, however, and ordered them to turn north. They encountered two more land-masses before finally sighting Greenland.
Even in his own day, Bjarni Herjolfsson was criticized for not seizing the opportunity that fortune had handed him. Bjarni was not an adventurer, however. He was a simple merchant who was more concerned with arriving safely in Greenland with his crew and cargo before the onset of winter than he was in discovering a new land. Some of his Viking comrades, on the other hand were more than happy to risk the dangers of the unknown for the opportunity of discovering a new colony, especially if it was as good a land as that Bjarni described. As soon as Bjarni arrived in Greenland, his story was eagerly received by many including Leif Eriksson, the son of Greenland's founder, Erik the Red.
After asking Bjarni many questions about his journey and buying Bjarni's boats, Leif set out to retrace Bjarni's route around 1003AD with a crew of 35 men. Leif and his men made it to the mainland of North America and passed two land-masses before settling in a place they called Vinland (modern day Newfoundland) over the winter. They apparently thought the land was very good and enjoyed the time they spent there in the houses they built. Under the leadership of Leif and his brother Thorvaldur the Norse tried to colonize the new land. The colony did not last long, however, and was ultimately abandoned. Nevertheless, Leif Eriksson has gone down in history as the first European to set foot on the mainland of North America. That honor could have gone to Bjarni Herjolfsson, but he passed it up. From the 10th century to the present, his name has gone down in history as one of those short sighted men who passed up a great opportunity for momentary worries.
