Freydis Eiriksdottir

Lore & Background

The saga accounts present two distinct narratives regarding Freydís's identity and actions. The Saga of the Greenlanders describes her as Leif's full sister who sought wealth and prestige after hearing of successful expeditions by Leif, Þorvaldr Eiríksson, and Þorfinnr Karlsefni. She formed a partnership with two Icelandic men, Helgi and Finnbogi, agreeing to share profits half-and-half. Although she promised equal numbers of men and supplies, she secretly smuggled extra crew onto her ship. Upon arrival in Vinland, Freydís demanded the houses Leif had built for her, displacing Helgi and Finnbogi who had arrived first. After a tense standoff where peace was briefly made, Freydís returned to her husband claiming the brothers had beaten her. He gathered his men and slaughtered Helgi, Finnbogi, and their sleeping camp followers. When the crew refused to kill five women in the opposing group, Freydís took an axe and massacred them herself.

In Their Own Story

In the Saga of Erik the Red, written later than its counterpart, Freydís appears as Leif's half-sister joining Þorfinnr Karlsefni's expedition. During a night attack by indigenous people (Skrælingjar) armed with war-slings or catapults, many Norsemen panicked and fled. Freydís, eight months pregnant, rebuked them: "Why run you away from such worthless creatures... when, as seems to me likely, you might slaughter them like so many cattle? Let me but have a weapon, I know I could fight better than any of you." Ignored initially, she seized the sword of the fallen Thorbrand Snorrisson. Surrounded by enemies, she undid her garment and beat the sword against her breast. This act caused the attackers to retreat to their boats and flee. The survivors, including Þorfinnr, praised her zeal. Back in Greenland, Freydís concealed her treachery regarding Helgi and Finnbogi for a year until Leif tortured three men from her expedition into confessing. Though he refused to harm her, Leif foresaw that her descendants would have little prosperity.

Reader's Guide

Historical records of Freydís are limited strictly to the two Vinland sagas: the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Erik the Red. Readers should note the contradictions between them; one names her a full sister, the other a half-sister. The Greenlanders saga details a year-long stay in Vinland, a secret smuggling of men, a massacre of ten Norsemen (two leaders and eight camp followers) plus five women, and subsequent torture of three witnesses by Leif to uncover the truth. The Erik the Red saga focuses on a single battle scene where she fights while heavily pregnant against indigenous attackers using a specific tactic of baring her breast. Modern portrayals in media such as the 2022 Netflix series Vikings: Valhalla (where Frida Gustavsson played Freydís) or novels like Laurent Binet's Civilizations are fictional expansions and not supported by these medieval texts.

Did You Know?

• Freydís was pregnant when she fought off an attack by indigenous people using a sword and baring her breast, though the sagas do not specify how far along she was.
• In the Saga of the Greenlanders, Freydís secretly smuggled more men onto her ship than agreed upon with her business partners Helgi and Finnbogi.
• Leif Erikson eventually learned of Freydís's massacre of Helgi, Finnbogi, and their crew by interrogating three men from her expedition until they confessed.
• Two different sagas portray Freydís differently: one as Leif's full sister and the other as his half-sister.
• Leif Erikson remarked that he foresaw Freydís's descendants having little prosperity due to her violent actions.