Eiríksstaðir, Iceland

Eiríksstaðir, Viking Longhouse and homestead of Erik the Red

In Iceland there is a place known as Eiríksstaðir, associated with a Viking known as Eiríkur (or Erik the Red). According to Viking legend, Eiríkur and his family were key players in the exploration of lands west of Iceland, including Greenland and the Americas.

Lake Haukadalsvatn

To find Eiríksstaðir you follow a road eastward up a wide shallow valley from the coast, eventually coming to pass a lake on your right. This winter it was mostly frozen; the expanding ice had cracked into a million tiny jagged pieces.

Statue of Leifur Erikkson at Eiríksstaðir

The Viking Sagas tell of Leifur Erikkson inheriting the exploration genes of his father Eirík - Leif the Lucky is thought to be the first Viking (and European) to set foot on North America, centuries before Christopher Columbus. Eiríksstaðir is where Leif is believed to have been born. Sculpture by Nina Saemundsson (early 20th century).

Winter at Eiríksstaðir

The archaeological evidence for the stories of Eirík and Leif isn't specific, but ruins dated to the 10th century AD were excavated here in 1895, 1938, and 1997-2000. The information panel reads, "The tentative conclusion reached by archaeologists is that if Eirikur the Red did really exist, then no other site has a stronger claim to having been his first home."

The Viking Longhouse, a replica

The main attraction at Eiríksstaðir is a replica longhouse, which was locked up during my visit but in more pleasant conditions apparently hosts Viking-age activities to help you imagine what life was like around these parts 1,000 years ago.

Babbling Brook at Eiríksstaðir

The only sounds at Eiríksstaðir this time of year were the gurgles of a half-frozen brook tumbling down from above, and the whisper of a wandering wind as it played the grasses.

Half Frozen

The watery Icelandic landscape is betrayed in the winter, when ice formations mark exactly where water oozes out of the ground.

A Longhouse - Rock, Earth, and Grass

We didn't see a single soul while at Eiríkstaðir. Just like the grass, it surely comes to life in the summer.

A Living Abode

With grass and moss growing right over it, this kind of building blends right in with the landscape, or perhaps it makes the point clear that structures are constituents of landscapes.

Mantle

No doubt this doorway, rustic as it is, serves a number of purposes that its 10th century counterparts were free of. There was another, smaller, doorway in the rear of the building. Clearly an escape hatch.

How Warm?

With temperatures hovering around -6 degrees Celcius outside my mind predictably turned toward wondering how warm the this kind of building is on the inside. My guess? Not that warm, even with a smokey hearth.

Knock Knock

This door was ingeniously secured. No apparent clasp, hasp, or lock - Viking tech.

Leaning Doorway

Eirík is clearly thought to have spent enough time on the water to nurse a slightly seasick taste in architectural design.

Home Sweet Home

The Viking Sagas are so rife with human conflict that you'd be forgiven for thinking that Iceland is a tiny place. It is not. Out here, though houses and farms are encountered with regularlity, I found an overwhelming sense of openness. Guess the Vikings could really be hot-tempered after all.

Best Laid Plans

All I can really read on here is the scale, but these appear to be architectural plans for the longhouse based on the stone foundations archaeologically documented at the original site nearby.

Big Views

Something interesting is going on here in profile as compared to the plans. I vow to come back and look inside (any excuse for another trip to Iceland).

West End

The building appears much more symmetrical from this end. It remains just as cold over here, however.

Tip Top

While not expecting many grass roofs to be around, replica or otherwise, I have been surprised at the dearth of stone structures in Iceland thus far. At a glance, most buildings appear relatively modern.

Grass and Sod detail

Though physical evidence of deep human history is fleeting across Iceland, this region - the county of Dalasysla - boasts one of the highest concentrations of saga sites. This longhouse replica is one site that is held in high historic regard.

Lucky Trails

With a final look back it was time to head off, to again follow the storied trails of the Vikings across the North Atlantic. Beautifully quiet in the dead of winter, Eiríksstaðir and the region was well worth the visit.