And I am the only child born in this Vinland, which gives me a special quality that no other can compete with. Other children may be able to row faster or throw stones more unerringly or memorize longer poems than me, but none of them can say that they are “the child of Vinland” It is my job to tell the story of these journeys undertaken by intrepid men and women who faced the unknown and confronted the dangers that stood in their way. And I think it’s only fair that I start by talking about my uncle Leif’s father: Erik the Red, one of the most famous men of the Viking Age. I never met him, but I have heard so much about him and imagined him so often that I can consider him someone very close to me.

Manuel Velasco, 2024