The Eriksson's are a Danish family who originate from Headby in Denmark, and their main family home is still there. Their family is rich, wealthy and powerful, even Danish Kings need be wary of them. Their great Long hall in Headby is called Alsvid (All Swift) named after the horse that pulls the sun across the sky. Erik's farther "Erik Tostigson" is head of the family and he is a Viking Jarl (Earl) a very powerful and wealthy Viking and he has a wicked sense of humour, and is extremely proud of his sons and daughters exploits in England, he also has a strange talent for removing peoples teeth.

Jarl Erik Tostigson sent Bjarni, Tostig and then Erik to England in six of his sixteen longships, the other ten are based at Headby which he commands along with his eldest son Ottar. The other six longships called Little Bear, Big Bear, Sea Goat, Sea Wulf, Black Wulf and Gold Wulf, all of which are normally based at Jorvik in England, are now under the command of his third son Erik (named after his dad),
He used to control them with his older brother Bjarni but unfortunately Bjarni was killed while on a raid in the south of England so now Erik commands them on his own with help of his trusted sea captains, Tostig the second eldest Eriksson brother doesn't like sailing as it makes him sick so doesn't mind Erik being in charge of the ships. There are four Eriksson brothers Ottar is the oldest then Tostig, followed by Bjarni(deceased) and Erik is the youngest

Erik, Bjarni and Tostig have set up quite a powerful base at Leicester where they have substantial lands and trading concerns. Their hall at Leicester is called Arvak (Early Walker). Tostig and Bjarni left Headby 23 years ago for England and Erik and their sister Astrid(named after their mom) joined them 10 years later.

During their time in England they have travelled around quitea bit, travelling and trading in Orkney, Greenland (the great Viking Joke: It's not green and there's No Land), Iceland, Shetland, Isle of man, Dublin, Swansea, London, Normandy, Rome, Wolverhampton and Byzantium to name a few of the magnificent places they have seen and usually fought in

The Eriksson's are a very tight knit family and Tostig and Bjarni built up a fair sized trading empire in the first ten years they were here, but since Erik joined them they have vastly increased their trading empire, with contacts at all the major trading centres throughout Europe and beyond. Rumour has it that some of their dealings are not as you would say legit, but they are powerful enough not to be called to account for some of their actions.

In 899 Bjarni's sister Astrid and his brother Erik joined him and Tostig in England, there are rumours that Astrid is the brains behind the brothers and goes with them on many of their journeys but if the truth is known she is more of a steadying influence.

Since he joined his brothers, Erik has increased the family's wealth considerably and some would say his own wealth has increased even morel, Erik has always had knack for, shall we say, exploiting a business opportunity ever since he could walk and talk, and he uses his skill to his and the family's benefit.

A tale has been told in many a long hall about the time that Bjarni and Tostig agreed to buy 20 sheep from a less than bright farmer they met on their way to Jorvik, after stiking the deal they aranged to collect them on their way back from Yorvik. When they returned to collect the sheep the farmer was less than willing to honour the deal, it seems that the previous evening someone turned up at the village and said he had come to collect the sheep for Bjarni and Tostig as they had been delayed in Jorvik, and the farmer had let him take the sheep as he knew all the details about the deal and even had what appeared to be one of the tally sticks* the deal had been agreed with. Bjarni and Tostig were not very happy as they had paid the farmer for the sheep in advance so demanded either the sheep or their money back or else! Faced with this the farmer reluctantly gave them another 20 sheep as he had spent some of the money already. Sometime later when the brothers met up with Erik they were surprised (although probably not very) to see him leaning on the fence of a small pen that containing 20 sheep! When they asked where he had got them from he said he brought them from a man he met on the way back from Jorvik and he had paid a lot less than Bjarni and Tostig had for their 20 sheep. There are many stories like this about the brother's exploits ask Erik to tell you some if you meet him

Other members of the Family include Trygg who is married to Sigrid another of Erik's sisters, Lars married to Erik's sister Bera, Gunnar married to Erik's sister Freya, Astrid not married and Anlaf a cousin, not married to any of Erik's sisters, way to ugly since he hit a tree while sledging as a young boy.

The brothers have always been a handful from birth but Bjarni and Erik more than the rest, they are best described a mischievous, always into to trouble, not really naughty, but as there mum Astrid would say "they had a glint in their eyes and a smile on their lips that told you when they had been up to no good", you new they had done it! but being the likable lads they were and coming from such a wealthy and powerful family, most people forgave them most of the time!

Erik is one of eight children. he has three brothers and four sisters. Ottar is the eldest he is six years older than Bjarni regarded as  the sensible one and normally the butt of Bjarni's jokes, then comes sisters Astrid, Sigrid Bera followed by Tostig and Astrid, then there is Erik the baby brother. They all grew up in Headby a huge Danish/Viking seaport with people and traders coming from the entire known world. This is when the Eriksson brothers got there taste for the 3 T's Travel, Trade and Trouble, some say "the three thing that they do best"

As a younster Erik would regularly pick fights and then let Bjarni, Tostig and Otter sort it out, he was always forgiven because it was usually the result of one his plans to make them money, legal or otherwise, although it has been said that he is never to eager to do hardwork and never buys the Ale.

Both Bjarni and Erik are gifted Blacksmith's when they want to be, a skill gained from their grandfather Tostig Ottarsson, and it was his skill in sword making that gained the family the Title of Yarl of Headby but that is another story.....