Snorri Thorfinnsson

Snorri Thorfinnsson (Old Norse and Icelandic: Snorri Þorfinnsson or Snorri Karlsefnisson) probably born between 1004 and 1013, and died ''c.'' 1090) was the son of explorers Þorfinnur Karlsefni and Guðríður Þorbjarnardóttir. He is considered to be the first child of European descent to be born in the Americas, apart from Greenland. He became an important figure in the Christianisation of Iceland.

Name

''Snorri'' is an Old Norse name derived from the word '' snerra'', meaning "a fight." ''Þorfinnsson'' is a patronymic, meaning "son of Þorfinnr", (see ''Icelandic naming conventions''). Snorri was named for his great-grandfather, Snorri Þórðarson, or after Snorri Þorbrandsson who was not a kinsman but a participant in Karsefni's expedition

Family

There is speculation about the birth date of Snorri Thorfinnsson. Birth years such as 1005, 1009, and 1012 have been postulated, but all sources agree that he was born between 1004 and 1013. According to the Vinland sagas, when Snorri was 3 years old, his family left Vinland because of hostilities with indigenous peoples (called ''Skrælingar'' by the settlers, meaning "barbarians"). The family returned to the Glaumbær farm in Seyluhreppur.

Snorri Thorfinnsson had two children; a daughter named Hallfrid, and a son named Thorgeir. Hallfrid was the mother of Thorlak Runolfsson, bishop of Skálholt in the south of Iceland. One of the descendants of Snorri's brother Thorbjorn, Bjorn Gilsson, was also a bishop of Hólar. Thorgeir was the father of Yngvild who was the mother of Brand Sæmundarsson, bishop of Hólar. (1983 ed., p.71) The sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen claimed descent from Snorri Thorfinnsson in the 19th century.

Christianisation of Iceland

In the 13th century texts Snorri Thorfinnsson and Snorri Thorrgrimsson are considered the two main figures responsible for the early Christianisation of Iceland. Consequently, they were portrayed by various writers of the 13th and 14th century as "Christian chieftain models". According to ''Grœnlendinga saga'', Snorri had built the first church of Glaumbaer, which would later increase Christian influence in the area. His descendants became the first Bishops of Iceland, and published the first Christian Code of Iceland.

Legacy

*Snorri Thorfinnsson was purported to be born in Vinland (America), making him the first European child known to be born in the Americas, provided that Greenland is defined as being outside the Americas.
*In 2002, American archaeologists discovered the remains of a thousand-year-old longhouse located on Iceland's northern coast. It is believed that it was Snorri Thorfinnsson's farmhouse. The longhouse was found near the Glaumbær Folk Museum, at the Skagafjörður Heritage Museum outside the coastal village of Sauðárkrókur. The museum was once thought to have been built on the site of Snorri's farmhouse. According to archaeologists it was "a classic Germanic fortress longhouse like the Great Hall of Beowulf".

*There is a non-profit organisation called The Snorri Program that focuses on the history of Icelandic settlers in North America and regularly runs exchange programs for youth and adults.

Genealogy

Below is the genealogy of descendants of Snorri, as given in the close of each saga, ''Grœnlendinga saga'' ch. 9 and ''Eiríks saga'' ch. 14.The saga texts obviously do not bother to reiterate the patronymic form in nominative case at every instance. For the English forms of the patronymics, is consulted. It is supplemented with further ancestral information from (''Eiríks saga'' ch. 7 and ''Landnámabók''), a more complete family tree for which, see Thorfinn Karlsefni.

Family tree

The following stemma is drawn from the genealogy appended to the last chapter of ''Eiríks saga rauða'' in Hauk's own recension (in the ''Hauksbók'', supplemented with additional information from the ''Landnámabók'').

Footnotes

References

;Texts
*. For ''Eiríks saga rauða'' A=Hauksbók, B=AM 557=Skálholtsbók.
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;Translations
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;Studies
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External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''Snorri ThorfinnssonGuðríðr Eiríksdóttir

{{DEFAULTSORT:Snorri Thorfinnsson
11th-century births
11th-century deaths
Viking Age in Canada
11th-century Icelandic people
11th-century North American people
Year of death unknown
History of Christianity in Iceland
Scandinavian Canadian
Icelandic Canadian