Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir

According to Erik the Red's Saga and The Saga of the Greenlanders, one of the earliest explorers of North America was Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir (born c. 970/980 CE). She was originally from Iceland, but she traveled to Greenland with her father and Erik the Red. Following the passing of her husband in Greenland, she quickly wed Thorstein, the younger brother of Leif Erikson, and traveled to North America with her husband and brother-in-law to explore Vinland.

Thorstein passed away there, and Gudrid went back to Greenland where she married a man named Thorfinn Karlsefni. She then went back to Vinland with him to start a permanent settlement there. The first European born in North America was their son, Snorri Thorfinnsson. The Gudrid of the sagas is probably based on a real-life historical figure, like Freydis.