Erik the Red was a real Viking! Find out more about him and other fearsome Vikings. IVAR THE BONELESS was a Viking leader who ruled parts of Denmark and Sweden. No one knows for sure why he got his name – some people believe he had an illness that made the bones in his legs soft, so that he had to be carried around on shields. Even if this was true, it didn’t stop him from invading England in AD 865! He must have been a fierce warrior. ERIK THE RED is thought to have got his nickname because he had red hair. But it might have been because of his temper… He was thrown out of Iceland after killing two of his neighbours. He travelled across the sea and discovered a cold, icy land, which he called Greenland. He convinced other Vikings to move there, and the settlement grew to 5,000 people. In AD 1002 a new group of immigrants brought over a disease which killed many of the settlers, including Erik the Red. Erik’s son, Leif Erikson, was also a great explorer – he was the first Viking to reach North America.
