Thorstein

Thorstien Eriksson is the youngest son of Erik the Red, a minor character in the novel 'They Came On Viking Ships'.

## Thorstein Eriksson

'A general depiction of Thorstien Eriksson, although the novel is devoid of physical description for this character.'

### Aliases

N/A: There are no other names for this character, as he is only mentioned once.

### Relatives

- Father: Erik the Red- Older Sister: Freydis Eriksdöttir- Older Brother: Leif Eriksson (Leif the Lucky)(He is the youngest son of Erik the Red)

### Affiliation

- Thorstien is a Viking, son of Erik the Red, and youngest brother of Leif the lucky and Freydis the Brave.

### Occupation

- Thorstien is a Viking, and his job specified further than that is unknown, however it is inferred that he is the Chief of his land up North of Erik and Leif's farm.

## Biographical information

### Marital status

- Marital status unknown, inferring that all his siblings are well past the stages of early marriage, he is supposedly married too, however to whom, is unknown.

### Place of birth

- Inferentially, Thorstien would have been born in Norway

### Date of death

-Approximately 1007 AD (There are no mentions of him dying in the novel)

### Place of death

- Historically, records say he died in Greenland (There are no mentions of him dying in the novel)

## Appearances

### Portrayed by

- The brief portrayal of the character is that of the novel's author, Jackie French

### Appears in

- 'They Came On Viking Ships'- 'Erik The Red--The Voyage To Vinland' Saga

### Debut

Chapter 20: The Traders -- Page 117

**First Appearance**

Thorstein Eriksson is first mentioned as the recipient of the message in the race between Hikki and Hekja as par a bet between the two runners' mistress and master, and stated by Erik.

*"'Freydis stood with Erik and Leif, examining great lengths of wood. 'There you are! Father, if this girl can't outrun Leif's runner I will give him my best cow.'*

*The old man looked Hekja up and down. 'You've seen her run? She has the legs for it, at any rate. But can she last the distance and find her way?'*

*'She will,' said Freydis confidently.*

*Hekja looked from one to the other, but didn't speak. She already had learnt that speaking out of turn would earn her a slap across the ear.*

*'Hikki!' roared Erik suddenly.*

*The runner stepped out from one of the store sheds. 'Yes, master?'*

*'I want you to take a message. It's two days' sail north, but you will run it. Understand?'*

*'Yes, master,' said Hikki confidently. He shot a glance at Hekja. 'I can run faster than any ship can sail.'*

*'We'll see,' said Erik.*

*'What is the message and where am I taking it?' asked Hikki.*

*'The farm is due north of here, the first one that you come to up the coast, as far up as a fiord as this one. The message is for my youngest son **'Thorstein Eriksson*****.** Tell him: "The traders have come. Bring your furs and join the feast." Understood?

*'Yes, master.' Hikki glanced at the sun. 'I will need dried fish, so I may eat as I run. Then I will be gone.'*

*'One moment,' ordered Erik. He nodded at Hikki. 'This girl is a runner too.'*

*'Her?' Hikki looked at Hekja in astonishment. 'Girls' can't be runners!' he protested.*

*One of the traders had overheard. He was young only a few years older than Hekja, with hair the same shade as the butter she had churned that morning. He stared at Hekja, which made her remember that she had forgotten to wash the cow dirt of her face as Freydis had told her to, then bent down and rubbed Snarf's ears. 'A girl runner?' he asked curiously. 'Do women in your country run too?'*

*Hekja shook her head. Suddenly she wished she had proper shoes, and a wooden dress, and a hairbrush like Freydis' so she too could pull her hair back into plaits.*

*I've never heard of a girl runner,' said the young man, pulling out some dried meat from his pouch and feeding it to the delighted Snarf. 'Surely they don't have the strength'*

*'Perhaps there are things that you haven't heard of, Snorri the Skald,' said Freydis calmly. 'Maybe girls are more capable than you think, Hekja, I want you to take this message too. And if my brother's runner gets there first, you will be beaten.'*

*Hekja met her eyes. 'I'll run as fast as I can,' she said. 'I don't need a beating to run.'*

*Snorri gave a shout of laughter. There is no way a girl can beat a man! Uncle Nils!' he called out to one of the traders. 'This girl is a runner!'*

*It's like I'm a strange beetle in the grass, to be exclaimed over, though Hekja.*

*'Girls cannot run,' said Hikki flatly. 'Their skirts get in the way.'*

*Hekja glanced at Freydis. Freydis smiled. 'Run!' she said softly.*

*Hekja hesitated. Surely she should take dried fish too, and maybe water. But, then she caught Freydis' eye. This way she would have a head start over Hikki!*

*Hekja ran, sprinting across the fields, with the men's laughter echoing behind, and Snarf leaping at her heels."'*

- 'They Came On Viking Ships' Page 116 Sub-Paragraph 7 Line 1 -- 'They Came On Viking Ships' Page 118 Sub-Paragraph 9 Line 2 -

**Significance Regarding Plot-Line**

Although Thorstein Eriksson is not a major character within 'They Came On Viking Ships' he is still important in moving forward the story, because his existence as a character helps to set up the race between the two runners Hekja and Hikki in chapter 21 - 'The Race'. This chapter helps to grow Hekja's (our protagonist) character as being a female in a male-dominated Viking society, and *winning* a race against a male runner. In this entire concept, Thorstein acts as a contextual background for the entire event, because without it, the event would be much more confusing.

**Who Was The Historically Accurate Thorstien Eriksson?**

Thorstien is the third-most and youngest son of Erik the Red, out of Leif, Thorvald and him. Very little is known of him.

According to records, Leif set the first expedition to Vinland, and succeeded. Thorvald set out a second expedition that took place successfully. Consequentially, the natives of Vinland (referred to as 'Skraelings') attacked the settlement of Thorvald's expedition and left a fatal blow, killing Thorvald.

Thorstein then came as the 'third' expedition, however his ships failed and never found Vinland. He returned to Greenland in the first week of Winter, and his expedition team lost his way around the coast. They set up camp on unstable territory, and it is thought that an epidemic swept through the winter, and killed everyone in the settlement camp.