One of the most arresting stories in the history of exploration, these two Icelandic sagas tell of the discovery of America by Norsemen five centuries before Christopher Columbus. Together, the direct, forceful twelfth-century Graenlendinga Saga and the more polished and scholarly Eirik's Saga, written some hundred years later, recount how Eirik the Red founded an Icelandic colony in Greenland and how his son, Leif the Lucky, later sailed south to explore - and if possible exploit - the chance discovery by Bjarni Herjolfsson of an unknown land. In spare and vigorous prose they record Europe's first surprise glimpse of the eastern shores of the North American continent and the natives who inhabited them.

The Saga of the Greenlanders and Eirik the Red’s Saga contain the first ever descriptions of North America, a bountiful land of grapes and vines, discovered by Vikings five centuries before Christopher Columbus. Written down in the early thirteenth century, they recount the Icelandic settlement of Greenland by Eirik the Red, the chance discovery by seafaring adventurers of a mysterious new land, and Eirik’s son Leif the Lucky’s perilous voyages to explore it. Wrecked by storms, stricken by disease and plagued by navigational mishaps, some survived the North Atlantic to pass down this compelling tale of the first Europeans to talk with, trade with, and war with the Native Americans.

Revised and Updated Edition Fleeing the ice clad fjords of his native Greenland just ahead of greedy kinsman who would keep his inheritance from him, Sigtrygg Thorgilsson, half-breed grandson of the storied explorer Leif Eiriksson, seeks his fortune on the shores of North America, last glimpsed by his grandfather some forty years before. Making his way across uncharted waters with a hastily assembled crew of untried men, he quickly learns that the inhabitants of the new land are less than pleased by their presence and that their survival will depend on their ability to carve a place for themselves in the midst of their skeptical hosts. But risking life and limb in a desperate gamble to prove their worth will not be enough as Sigtrygg’s angry kinsmen unexpectedly arrive on the coast to dispute what he has won. Then only the shrewd counsel of an aged viking, and the passion of the woman Sigtrygg left behind, offer a way out of the burgeoning blood feud that threatens to engulf them all—as storm clouds gather in the distance and a defeated enemy prepares to take his revenge. A novel of Vikings and Indians in pre-Columbian North America, The King of Vinland’s Saga reprises the failed settlement history of the Norse on the edge of the North Atlantic in the eleventh century—as Europe lay mired in medieval darkness, its inhabitants still ignorant of the places and peoples that lay just beyond their reach. Book Review: Just put down the above book. If this was your first endeavor, then I am eagerly anticipating your second. The book was fantastic! It was as enjoyable to me as “The Golden Warrior”, “Musashi”, and “With Fire and Sword” and other historical fiction novels that grace my bookshelves (many of which purchased through your recommendation on Amazon). It is nice to read a book and get mad, frustrated, etc. at the characters. Thanks again for a pleasurable read! Pete Giorgianni

A DREAM COMES ASHORE Thorfinn's travels have taken him from Iceland to England, Denmark, the distant trading posts of the Byzantine Empire, and back home again. On the journey, he has amassed scars, losses, and sins to atone for, but also found strength in his friends, in his new wife, and in the dream that he's never let go, of a new land free of brutality and slavery. At last, the moment has come to set foot on Vinland- not the misty ideal he has carried there, but the real thing- and to meet the people who have made it their home for generations before Thorfinn's quest began...

At the beginning of the High Middle Ages, Europe was recovering from the chaotic Early Middle Ages coupled with a period of colder climate. Learning, agriculture, trade, population, urbanization and state power were on the rise. Since the 870s, Iceland had been permanently settled by Norse emigrants from Europe. Around the year 985 or 986, a new wave of migration led by Eirik the Red arrived to Greenland from overpopulated Iceland. The same year Bjarni Herjolfsson was blown off his course to Greenland and sighted unknown lands in the west. About 15 years later began the most exciting chapter of European explorations and discoveries in the west, started by Leif Eiriksson's voyage and exploration of Vinland. Five centuries ahead of the Age of Discovery, Leif visited North America and left there a base which was used by explorers who followed. Their voyages and explorations were later vividly described in the Vinland Sagas. The fact that these first European explorers were able to find Leif's base in North America, without maps and tools for precise navigation, is striking. It is evidence that it was not difficult to find Vinland... The Vinland Sagas excited many of their readers. Likewise, seeming or real disharmony of their records puzzled them. When I read The Vinland Sagas for the first time several years ago, I was impressed by them but did not understand their message. When I read The Vinland Sagas for the second time in December 2013, I was impressed by them again, but this time I was determined to make greater effort to understand their message. I approached the Sagas as records capturing testimonies of Vinland voyages and explorations that were handed down for generations before they were written. When I encountered the bull episode recorded in the Sagas, I realized that it can be harmonized and explained. Likewise I came to the conclusion that all of the recorded Vinland voyages can be harmonized and explained. I read passages of the Sagas over and over, made notes of the information, and harmonized them. I was not writing book then. I simply wanted to understand where the Norsemen sailed, where they settled, and what places they visited. With The Vinland Sagas, Webster's Dictionary, maps, and my basic harmony of the Vinland voyages, on December 12, 2013, I identified a place for Leif's base in Vinland. The location seems to be in internal harmony with information in The Vinland Sagas as well as in external harmony with maps and information that I was able to find on the internet. Based on my notes, I wrote this book, which should be understood as a possible interpretation and explanation of The Vinland Sagas. I enjoyed writing this book, and I hope that you will enjoy reading it.

The Mighty Laid Low Thanks to his claim by lineage, the attackers surrounding Jomsborg want Thorfinn to be their leader, but it is a mantle he intensely rejects. When the battle for leadership over the powerful Jomsvikings reaches a stalemate, Thorfinn must make a critical decision. With Gudrid held captive within the fortressed city, walking away will not be an option. He must infiltrate Jomsborg to break her out, and the ensuing battle will leave the greatest mercenary force in the North Sea changed forever…

The set contains "the first complete, coordinated English translation of The sagas of Icelanders, forty in all, together with forty-nine of the shorter Tales of Icelanders."--Preface.