Leif Erikson
From Vinland Saga
Leif Erikson is a supporting character in Vinland Saga, the celebrated explorer who first reached Vinland, an old friend of Thors' family, and the man who spends years searching the northern seas for the lost Thorfinn. He is voiced by Yōji Ueda in Japanese and Frank Todaro in English (Netflix dub).
About Leif Erikson
Leif Erikson is the famous explorer who was the first European to reach Vinland, and an old friend of Thors' family. He knew Thorfinn as a wide-eyed boy in Iceland and spends years searching the northern seas for the lost young man, refusing to believe he is dead. Gentle, weathered and stubborn, Leif is living proof of the Vinland dream Thorfinn carries.
Appearance
Leif is a weathered older man with grey in his beard, sun-lined skin and the easy balance of a lifelong sailor. He dresses practically for the sea and carries himself without any of the swagger of the warriors around him, his authority comes from having survived everywhere he has been. In Thorfinn's childhood memories he appears larger than life, a storyteller framed by firelight; in the present he is smaller, older and sadder, but no less determined.
Personality
Leif is gentle, stubborn and fundamentally hopeful. Where the Viking world measures men by fighting, Leif measures the world by what lies over the horizon, and he never stops believing the lost boy he knew is alive. He is also practical, a trader and negotiator who survives by wit and goodwill, and his kindness has limits he enforces firmly, as the slaves and scoundrels he deals with discover.
Background & Story
Leif Erikson sailed west from Greenland and became the first European known to reach the continent he called Vinland, a place of timber, grapes and mild winters that he described to a wide-eyed young Thorfinn in Iceland. After Thors' death and Thorfinn's disappearance, Leif refused to accept the boy was dead. For years he searched ports and slave markets across the north, following rumours, until his search finally brought him within reach of the grown, enslaved Thorfinn in Denmark.
Key Relationships
- Thorfinn: The boy he told the first Vinland stories to; Leif's search for him, and his faith in him, make Thorfinn's dream possible.
- Thors: His old friend, whose son Leif treats as his own responsibility after Thors' death.
- Ylva: Thors' daughter, who keeps Leif's connection to the family alive in Iceland while he searches.
Quick Answers
Is Leif Erikson a real person?
Yes. The historical Leif Erikson was a Norse explorer from Iceland who reached North America around the year 1000, centuries before Columbus.
Who voices Leif Erikson?
Yōji Ueda voices him in Japanese. In English, Frank Todaro voices him in the Netflix dub and John Swasey in the Sentai dub.
