Freydís Eiríksdóttir

Freydís Eiríksdóttir (born around 975) was a Norse woman who was reputed to be the daughter of Erik the Red, who played a significant role in the Norse exploration of North America as an early colonist of Vinland. Her brother, Leif Erikson, is credited in early histories of the area with making the first European contact. The two Vinland sagas, the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Erik the Red, are the medieval and primary sources that discuss Freyd's. Although the two sagas provide different perspectives, Freyd's is portrayed in both as a powerful woman. Freydís Eiríksdóttir is also considered as one of the most famous Vikings of all time.

Both sagas list Freydís as one of the explorers, but they each give a different narrative of who she was. In one, while carrying a large baby, she frightens away a bunch of attackers by brandishing a sword. In the other, she killed a bunch of helpless ladies in cold blood while being cunning and vicious. Freyd's actions are astounding in all of the stories, but regardless of how she is portrayed—positively or negatively—her steely personality permeates them both.

After The Saga of the Greenlanders, The Saga of Erik the Red was written. The half-sister of Leif Erikson, Freyds is portrayed in this story as a renowned and powerful woman. She joined an expedition to Vinland under the command of Orfinnr Karlsefni, but she only appears once in the saga during an attack by natives. The Indians sneaked up on the expedition's camp at night and fired at the warriors while armed with "war-slings, or catapults". The reports of what happened to the Norse in Vinland are given in rough form in The Saga of the Greenlanders. Chapter 8 of this tale recounts Freyd's adventures in Vinland and identifies her as Leif Erikson's full sister.