Leiv Eiriksson is an important symbol of ethnic pride for Americans of Nordic heritage. According to the Saga of Olav Tryggvason, Leiv sailed out from Trondheim harbor for his historic voyage to Vinland, now known as North America, in the year 1000. This saga was written by Snorre Sturlasson in approximately 1230-1240. August Werner designed the original of this statue for the 1982 Seattle World’s Fair. The Leif Erikson Society of Seattle gave this replica to the city of Trondheim in 1997 to honor the thousand-year anniversaries of the founding of Trondheim and Leiv Eiriksson’s voyage to America.
