Erik the Red
~950–~1003 · Norse (Norway/Iceland/Greenland) · Viking Age
Known for: Founded the first Norse settlements in Greenland and invented real estate marketing by naming an icy wasteland 'Greenland'
Erik was exiled from Norway for manslaughter, then exiled from Iceland for more killings. Running out of countries, he sailed west and discovered a large island he cleverly named 'Greenland' to attract settlers—one of history's first and most successful marketing campaigns.
He returned to Iceland and recruited approximately 500 settlers who established two colonies on Greenland's southwestern coast. He was red-haired, hot-tempered, and violent—but also charismatic enough to convince hundreds of people to move to an ice sheet. His son Leif sailed even further west to North America.
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