Learnings: The Horror of Banishment

Reconstruction of Erik the Red's farmhouse / Contemporary

A Scandinavian was nothing without their community. By being banished from society and becoming an outlaw, a person was suddenly cut off from all the people they loved and who gave gave them purpose. They were separated from their family and even their long-dead ancestors.

Without a land, clan, or ancestors, an outlaw was considered no more than a beast—and, like an animal, it was legal to hunt him.

Banishment was a dire punishment for both the outlaw and his family. The shame and stigma of having a family member banished was great, and many families would do their best to forget that person.

However, some chose to stick by the banished and share in their punishment. This was the case of Erik the Red, a famous utlagr. When he was banished from Iceland, his family left the island with him and settled in Greenland. Pictured here is a reconstruction of Eiríksstaðir, the farm Erik left in Iceland.