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The Viking Tale of Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir

If you know who Vikings were, you might think that the men were stronger, more courageous and adventurous than the women, but that is not the case. There is evidence that suggests Viking women were just as brave and capable as the men. One of those women was Gudrid.

More than 1000 years ago, there lived a woman, Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir, who sailed to Vinland, now known as Canada, with her husband and crew. They lived there and explored the area for three years. All together, she made eight crossings on the North Atlantic Sea and traveled farther than any other Viking.

Not surprisingly, this story is perhaps just a tale. People do not know for sure if Gudrid really existed or if she actually “found” America 500 years before Christopher Columbus. But, this is what scientists and historians are still researching and debating.

Some researchers say that Gudrid was an actual person, a woman who was born around 900 AD in Iceland. At 15, she and her father, Thorbjorn, traveled to Greenland. She then married Erik the Red who came from a famous Viking family. It seems that she lived in North America for three years before returning to Greenland.

Whether the story of Gudrid is true or a legend, it still shows that Vikings of both genders were adventurous, courageous, and strong.

[Source: Smithsonian Magazine]

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