First Encounters: The Norse Expeditions to North America explores the groundbreaking Viking ventures to the shores of the New World around 1000 CE, focusing on the settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. This historical investigation sheds light on the first known European contact with North America, centuries before Columbus's famed voyage. The Norse expeditions, led by seafarers like Leif Erikson, have long been enshrined in myth and legend, celebrated in sagas that speak of lush lands known as Vinland. Yet, archaeological evidence at L’Anse aux Meadows adds depth to these stories, painting a more complex picture of the Viking experience—one marked by ambition, fleeting settlement, and inevitable conflict with indigenous peoples. By separating fact from fiction, this exploration reveals how these brief encounters set the stage for cultural exchange, clashing worldviews, and the enduring mystery of early transatlantic exploration.