Summary

Bjarni Herjulfson, a Viking explorer, became known as the "Least Curious Man" for his decision not to explore the Canadian coastline in 986, despite seeing it after a storm threw his ship off course, instead choosing to continue to Greenland to reunite with his father.

Abstract

In 986, Bjarni Herjulfson set sail for Greenland but was blown off course by a storm, leading his crew to the shores of what is now known to be Canada. Despite the crew's exhaustion and curiosity, Herjulfson refused to explore the new land, insisting on reaching Greenland. His decision was likely influenced by his desire to reunite with his father, Herjolf, who had moved to Greenland with Erik the Red. Herjulfson's lack of exploration paved the way for Leifur Eiríksson (Leif Eriksson), who later became recognized as the first European to set foot on the American continent, using Herjulfson's ship and information to undertake his historic journey.

Opinions

The author suggests that Herjulfson's crew may have been frustrated or angry with him for not allowing them to explore the new land, especially after their arduous journey and the promise of respite.
Herjulfson's actions indicate a strong commitment to family and a sense of duty over the allure of exploration and discovery.
The author playfully speculates about the crew's physical capabilities and the potential mutiny that could have occurred, questioning why the physically capable Viking crew did not overrule Herjulfson's decision.
The narrative implies a level of admiration for Herjulfson's self-control and focus on his goal of finding his family, contrasting with the label of "Least Curious Man."
The author seems to empathize with Herjulfson's personal motivations, considering his actions as those of a determined son rather than a disinterested explorer.
There is a hint of irony in the author's tone when reflecting on the fact that Herjulfson's practical decision to continue to Greenland inadvertently led to the historic discovery by Leif Eriksson years later.

The Explorer That Stopped 5 Minutes Before the Miracle

Seeing the new land was enough for him

The storm had tossed his ship for days and he was lost at sea. Headed for Greenland in the year 986, Bjarni Herjulfson and his crew were alive but thrown off their course.

The storm died down and miraculously, they saw land in the distance.

Nobody from the crew had ever been to Greenland, so they didn’t know what to expect. As they got closer, Herjulfson realized that it was not Greenland. There were no mountains or glaciers in sight, only small hills with trees. Lots of trees.

They were looking at Canada.

His curiosity did not get the best of him

He was happy to see the land but had no desire to go any further than that. The crew begged and pleaded for him to stop, but he refused. They were exhausted from the storm and were curious about what they saw, but the captain wouldn’t budge.

Let’s just remember the ships back then were powered by men with oars and one little sail.

**The crew thought they could get a break after powering a similar ship**. Photo: Author with Canva

A crew of 36 men had been rowing for days, maybe weeks, and they just survived a horrible storm. The land they saw would have been heavenly to rest their weary bones.

Herjulfson did not allow them to drop anchor. He just wanted to get back home.

They would have been exploring Canada, but he headed North. A day later, he saw the second piece of land that had trees instead of ice. He knew again that it was not Greenland, so they kept on course.

Despite the protests from the crew, Herjulfson saw no reason to stop. The weather was working against them and he had no intention of wasting time.

Anger may have motivated the men

They quickly made it to Greenland 4 days later. The men must have been angry about not being able to explore, or anxious to be done with the agonizing trip. Understandably so.

Not once or twice, but at least 3 times they could have stopped before Greenland.

The rough trip was the last for Herjulfson

He gave up trading after that trip. He would be a farmer mostly, for the rest of his life, only making 2 other shorter trips to Norway.

While chatting with a friend years later, he mentioned the time he was lost at sea. He described the land he saw, the trees, and the small hills.

His friend asked many questions about the trip, gaining as much information as possible. He too was surprised by Herjulfson’s lack of curiosity.

So, he bought Herjulfson’s ship, hired 35 crewmen, and went out to see for himself. He repeated his friend’s voyage but fully intended to explore.

This man, Leifur Eiríksson (Leif Eriksson), staked his claim as the first European to walk on the American Continent.

Leif Eriksson was more curious than Herjulfson

Scholars have no doubt that Herjulfson saw Newfoundland, Labrador, and Baffin Island before reaching Greenland. 14 years later, Eriksson and his crew walked on the land.

I hope some of the original crew got to be a part of that exploration. In my version, they all got to explore after 14 years of curiosity ate away at them.

The more I think about it, why didn’t that crew of beefy, attractive Viking men just row, row, row the boat, and land on the beach? Did 1 little guy with no curiosity stop all those sexy, sweaty men from exploring?

Nobody knows why, or how, he merely sighted a new land and chose not to stop. It could have been that he was homesick and wanted to go be with his parents. Or maybe he was never meant to be an explorer, just a trader.

We may never know but he will always be known as The Least Curious Man.

After learning about this ‘Least Curious Man’, I played the Devil’s Advocate a bit. Maybe this guy just had amazing self-control and kept his eye on the prize. The prize in this case was his family.

A year before, in 985, Herjulfson was returning from a trade job in Norway. He arrived in Iceland where he would spend each summer with his father, Herjolf.

But his father was with his pal, Erik the Red.

Some details on Erik the Red:

Erik was on the run from the law since 982
He promised his Icelandic friends he would come back once he found a good spot for colonization.
Erik called it Greenland, as a way to make it sound more appealing.
Herjolf and Erik moved 25 ships with people to ‘Greenland’
Erik the Red lied to all those people, and only 11 of the ships actually arrived safely.

The tradition was to spend the summer with his dad, so Herjulfson set out to find his father, immediately after returning from Norway.

It sounds to me like he just wanted to spend time with his dad.

That could be the real reason he didn’t want to stop and explore the unknown land. He knew that his father wasn’t there, so he kept on searching.

Maybe he didn’t lack curiosity, maybe he just knew exactly what he wanted.

Once he did find his father, in Greenland, he stayed there and became a farmer for the rest of his parents’ lives.

There are 2 sides to every story. Some will focus on a lack of curiosity, but others may see a determined son, who didn’t stop until he found his family.